Reflection
by demonfox910
Summary: Some rains are weak. Some are gentle. Some are churned by vengeance and hatred to become storms. When just such a storm bears down upon Earthland, raging and destructive, friendship and charisma rise to meet it. And so, enter Fairy Tail. Rated for language and violence. Not yaoi. Originally called "Brothers in Heart, Uzumaki and Dragneel."
1. Prologue

Naruto Uzumaki's lifeless form hit the ground with a sickening *thud*. Blood oozed from the Sixth Hokage's shattered chest. Madara Uchiha broke into an ecstatic laugh.

"I've finally killed him!" the immortal declared to the ruined mountain range that had been their battlefield. "I am God! No one can oppose me now! The others were worthless, mere pawns! I, Madara Uchiha, shall raise an even greater army, an invincible army, and rule this world! I…am…the—"

Madara's tirade would've continued, if not for Naruto's final jutsu. One hundred rasenshurikens materialized around Madara, and as Naruto's voice echoed from the sky, commanding "Wind Style: Spiral Ragnarok," the wind stars converged on Madara in a shrieking barrage, eviscerating and obliterating the body of the last Uchiha. He hadn't even had the chakra to make himself intangible.

The wind stars then exploded, completely destroying Naruto's body as well, and carving a massive crater where they landed.

When the Allied Shinobi Forces arrived at the crater, a reading of chakra signatures revealed what had happened. The newly named Rokudaime had engaged Madara Uchiha, the last of the Akatsuki. Seeing the trademark signs of a very, very large Rasenshuriken, (or several normal ones) and noting the lack of any scent trail from Uchiha, and the fading signature, it became apparent that neither Naruto nor Madara would return.

As Konoha shinobi broke down in collective grief and anger at the unjust end their hero had come to, the shinobi of other nations looked on in quiet sympathy, showing respect for the most powerful, inspiring, and moral ninja of the age.

Blinded by her tears, a pale girl with dark blue hair and pupil less eyes let out a final message to her boyfriend of only a month. There was no hint of a stutter as she said "Kami keep you, Naruto-kun. You were always too good for this world." The young woman broke into heavy sobs again and her cousin, a slightly older, but still young, man with brown hair and the same eyes, wrapped his arms around her and held her to him, letting her vent her sorrow on his shoulder. He looked up in response to a hand on his shoulder to see his wife, her trademark hair buns undone, tears in her eyes.

It was obvious to all that Naruto died the noblest of deaths. He sacrificed his own life, knowing that a delayed-time effect justu would ensure that his final strike did its job. He lived selflessly, thinking always of his fellows before himself. Naruto lived humbly, was frugal with his money, and regularly donated to orphanages and other charities. He was always willing to forgive and forget, something that led to his making many friends. He lived a moral life, calling right and wrong as he saw it, and never seeing from a "certain perspective." He remained cheerful and playful for the benefit of those around him, despite having endured horrendous disrespect and abuse from his own countrymen, which forced him to be, in fact, far more mature than his age. Without any hesitation, he upheld his duty as a ninja, a kage, and a man by giving himself to certain death and destruction for the protection and benefit of others, and his soul ascends now, pure, untouched by hatred and cruelty; for despite the fact that they surrounded him, he refused to let them corrupt him.

All of these admirable qualities and deeds add up. To what, you ask? The answer is an epiphany: a revelation that seems glaringly obvious once presented. Naruto Uzumaki did not deserve death, yet he is dead. He is dead of his own choice: to save others by his passing.

When a person dies, and they deserve a second chance, they may in fact get it. Kami is not unmerciful.

Kami had, in fact, heard Hinata's final plea, and she knew love when she saw it. She took a small bit of time evaluating the child's life; his sacrifices, achievements, childhood, relationships, and concluded that he had, indeed, been too good for the world he came from. The goddess known as Kami to some, God to others, Allah, Jehovah, and many other names, a delicate girl swathed in a thin white robe embroidered with designs of suns and moons, stood up from her bed, and walked, with the most serene grace, across empty space. She dipped one translucent hand into a pool of shimmering liquid in the corner of her bedchamber, and withdrew one of many, very pretty, very delicate, shining objects. Smiling, she held the object to her chest briefly, before calling for her elder brother.

A cloud of black smoke materialized next the Goddess, before fading away to reveal a young man in a cloak made up of a starry sky, bright spots brightening the otherwise pitch-dark garment. His skin was pale, almost translucent, and his hair was black like a raven's feathers, with streaks of silvery-white running through it. He was tall and thin, with a thin jaw and high cheekbones. He had dark shadows under his eyes. He seemed, at first glance, a malnourished, sleep-deprived, delicate teenage male. His gentle expression, however, and the kind twinkle in his eyes, full of wisdom and experience, betrayed the existence of an energy and warmth belying his appearance.

A scythe with a pure white haft of bone and a blood-red blade hung on his back. The mysterious brother approached and knelt at the feet of the Goddess.

"You called for me, sister mistress." It was a statement, not a question.

The girl's eyes twinkled with amusement as she shook her head. "Please, brother, sister is plenty enough. You know that I do not like being formal with family."

The brother stood, his face bearing respect and seriousness. "And, as always, I must insist on addressing Your Majesty with the proper respect and dutifulness. You are Queen of the many planes of existence, and I am but a humble death god in your exalted service. However, when we are simply being us," he said, advancing with a sudden smile and wrapping the girl in a gentle hug, "you'll just be my baby sister."

She couldn't resist, she giggled a bit and gave in to his affectionate embrace. When her brother set her down on the nonexistent floor, she showed him the soul she had been holding in her small, but omnipotent hands.

"I need this soul to be taken to a plane of existence, and not the one it came from." She touched the shimmering sphere lightly, and smiled. "I rarely see ones such as he; a second chance has been earned." Her expression saddened and her eyes grew wet. "Please, take him somewhere loving and good, but somewhere that he will always have a purpose and people to protect."

Seeing her sadness, the death god, both reaper and savior of souls, brushed the tears from his sister's face ever-so-gently, and said with the greatest possible reassurance and conviction, "Your Majesty the Queen of all, gracious mistress, and loving sister, I shall deliver this soul to a worthy realm." His sense of duty in full force, he bowed to his sister, before kissing the top of her head affectionately and vanishing in a cloud of smoke.

The Goddess smiled, then kissed the soul in her hands and blew lightly; moments later, the death god re-formed and it came into existence on his shoulder. He was now in a completely different section of reality than the goddess' bedchamber. He was between the many planes, where space and time stand still.

The space here was misty green in color, an eerie, fogged atmosphere where even those who visit it regularly struggle to decipher what from what. It had been that way since the beginning of things; a place with infinite pathways and possibilities is never clear. This obscurement was, in fact, so potent that is blocked the practiced vision of a deity's minds-eye.

The death-god whipped his scythe above his head once, then slashed it down, obliterating the oppressive airspace. With the planes clear to his mind's-eye's view, he set to work.

He mentally viewed the realms him, and narrowed his options down to two, based on a place of purpose, and protection. It was clear that this soul craved both challenge and duty. After some consideration, he rejected one because of its overwhelming violence and corruption. The world of hollows and shinigami (not even proper death gods, in his opinion) would not house a soul so pure. A soul much like it was already there, and fought daily against corruption and depression.

The death god would choose a place for Naruto's soul with similar elements to those in his previous life, and with an abundance of family and love.

He chose the realm of mages, spirits, and dragons: Earthland.

Having made his choice, the death god took the soul in his hand, and he gazed at it with some curiosity and sympathy.

He spoke softly. "I can tell by looking at you that you are unique. I have seen perhaps two souls in all of my hundred millennia as death god with quality akin to yours. My sister seems to adore you, and you intrigue me. Know that this is a _second chance_ completely separate from your first. You will remember nothing, and retain no powers aside from those your soul possesses inherently. Your new life will shape your memories and personality, but the purest form of life," he touched the soul gently with his forefinger, "you, will remain untouched and unchanged. Go with the love of the heavens, and be fortunate."

With that, as his sister had done, the death god breathed upon the soul, as if blowing a kiss, and watched it pass through a portal into a realm of space and time: a plane of existence, and a new home.

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	2. Black Death

**Hey guys. No, I'm not gonna call you cheezits. I realize that I have not uploaded in a very long time. Frankly, I feel like a bit of a dick. I've done a lot of thinking, and I've settled on a few things. **

**Firstly, I originally thought that I'd try to pair Naruto with Mira. Then someone told me that everyone does that, and I wanted to change my mind to Naruto/Tayuya. Now I've thought about it and checked the archive. I'm gonna go back to Naruto/Mira. Thanks to GaijinSamurai for the kick in the butt about that.**

**So, anyway, this is my main focus now, and I will be able to spend much more time on it.**

**Last but not by any means least, I must make a request of you readers. While I do love compliments and nice words (they warm my little heart) there is a surprising lack of criticism on any of my writing. Please, I appreciate criticism more than anything else! If I've got a grammar mistake, redundancy, or poor speech patterns, let me know I'm being an idiot, please!**

**Merry belated Christmas and Happy fucking New Year!**

**I don't own jack shit (including the cuss words) (sobs)**

***dattebayo***

Naruto Uzumaki was a baby, one year old. He had been given a second chance after saving the world in which he had spent his previous life.

He has a loving father and mother. You'd be hard-pressed to find a happier family. Naruto had hardly ever cried. It seemed that he never needed to.

The Uzumakis were living on the outskirts of a small town in rural Fiore, peacefully enjoying the cool mountain air and the company of a few friends that happen to live nearby. Their house is small, humble, and functional.

It is because they are so very happy, that what I tell you now is so very terrible.

This day found the Uzumakis, with Naruto in his mother's arms, sitting down to a movie, an enormous bowl of popcorn in the father's lap. Naruto was sleeping quietly, his breath stirring the locks of spiky golden hair that framed his face. Sasuke and Sakura were alternating between glancing adoringly at him and attempting to watch the movie. It was some sappy romance flick, so Sasuke was really feigning his "interest" in the film to placate his wife, while alternating between eating the popcorn and looking at his son.

He really never thought he would ever settle down. He'd spent his life as a combat mage, taking part in dark guild wars, _legal_ guild wars, and even working with the Rune Knights for a time. He given that up, though, married, and fathered a child, taking a comfortable office job with _The Weekly Sorcerer_; and you know what? He loved it.

However, the peaceful living hadn't dulled his reflexes, or the iron-clad caution and awareness that come from battle.

So, when his wife started cooing to Naruto softly, and a faint screech could be heard over her sweet tones, he did not ignore it. He acted. Standing swiftly, he turned off the TV and held out his index finger behind him, motioning for Sakura to remain on the couch. She'd heard the sound as well. She looked back to Naruto, who had woken and was trying to grab his mother's long, pink hair with excited squeals. He smiled, grasping at the strands.

Sasuke brushed a curtain from the window and looked outside. He almost lost his composure at the sight of an enormous black dragon flying overhead, not fifty feet above their home. He ran to the door, placed his right hand on it, and mentally activated the magic security system. The doors locked, all of the curtains shut, the electricity died, and soundproofing engaged. Sakura let out a surprised gasp when the lights died. Sasuke knew that his little tricks wouldn't keep that beast out if it landed, but at the very least it might keep them hidden. Besides, it would likely just keep moving. Dragons were impossibly rare, powerful creatures. They wouldn't bother with every group of people they crossed paths with.

His hopes were dashed as slight tremor, belying the thing's massive size, betrayed it's landing, likely not very far from the house. Sakura almost jumped out of her seat. Sasuke grunted and simply said "There's something big outside. Don't ask what. Let's just wait it out." She nodded and tried to keep Naruto quiet.

After a few minutes with barely any noise, just an occasional, soft crash from outside, he returned to the window and brushed the curtain away, just a centimeter, to assess the situation, and was horrified to find himself not twenty feet from the thrice-damned dragon. The thing was enormous, at least a hundred feet long, perhaps more. The wings looked feathered and were black like a raven's, streaked with a dusky blue. The entire body was colored that way: inky black with light blue in gruesomely symmetrical tattoos across its hide. The dragon started sniffing the house. Sasuke, now a bit scared, was horrified to see a look of acknowledgement in the dragon's crimson, murderous, evil, _superior _eyes as they met his own.

He looked to his family, and Sakura saw the horror on his face. He suppressed his fear and hardened his expression. This was a fighter's face, a soldier's face.

"Let me finish before you say anything," he said, "it's a bit of a mess." A bit of a mess. Yeah, that was a bit funny. More like a metric fuckton of trouble, but he wasn't telling his wife that.

His tone and words shocked her slightly, but she relented and nodded.

"It's a dragon. It knows that there are people in here," he said, "or that at least something is." Her eyes widened. "I'm going to distract it as best I can. You take Naruto out the back door and go down the hill. Hide in a crevice or a cave. I'll try to meet you there afterwards."

Yeah, _try_. He wasn't going to lie to her. He was a man of courage, an experienced soldier, and he had very good motivation to return alive. He recognized, though, that such a thing was beyond his ability to kill, regardless of what drove him.

His wife was very surprised. "What do mean, _try_?" she asked, shocked.

He sighed. "Exactly what I said. I can't kill a living mass of magic. It's beyond human ability. But neither can we get away if we just run. It can fly, we can't. I don't know if I'll make it back."

Her eyes filled with tears. "What about our son? Will you have him be fatherless? What about _you_? I'm not leaving you here! I'm your wife! I love you!"

He hugged her and his son tightly, and then kissed her lovingly. "I know you do. I love you both more than you can imagine. I don't want to leave you and Naruto, but you can't stay. If I don't…make it, you'll have to raise him."

He took his son into his arms. "Naruto," he said softly, voice thick with emotion, "I want you to know that I love you very much. Daddy always loves you, always will, okay?" The baby made some noise in response, his happy smile missing.

He handed his son back to his wife, and started guiding her to the back door, just as he heard something the walls behind them strain. Sakura and Naruto exited through the back door as the walls began cracking. Sasuke slammed the door behind them, then turned and summoned his power just in time for the wall to explode in his face. The dragon entered, roaring and screeching, mouth open and fangs bared.

He didn't think any further. He didn't care that this thing could kill him without trying, and he most definitely didn't care that he was almost certain to die now. He charged into the mass of teeth and black scales, lightning shrouding both fists. _For you_.

Sakura heard the battle cry of her husband, somehow louder than the roar of a dragon. She clutched her son to her chest as she tried to curl into a ball on the small cleft they rested on. She feared for him, she didn't know if he survived; and though she hoped, he likely didn't. She sobbed bitterly and looked up.

The last thing she saw was the black dragon's blood-red eyes, filled with life-consuming magic, staring straight at her. The great red orbs drained flashed with power, and she slumped forward, before falling to her side on the ledge, lifeless, her living son still held to her chest.

***dattebayo***

Vitrax could recall many scents. Some were pleasant, like lilacs in the spring, and fresh snow in the winter. Some smells, however, were not pleasant at all. Dung, mold, and swamps all tended to make the Crystal dragon scrunch up his face in disgust, but he'd gotten used to them throughout his rather long existence. However, there was one smell that he could not stand and would never be able to; the smell that befouled the very air; the smell that wreaked havoc upon his peace and that of others: the oppressive, heady, disgusting odor of death. He smelled it now.

Pointing his head to the source of the smell, he tucked in his wings and dove toward it. His head passed through the clouds, and he landed on a grassy hill. He looked up to a ruined house on the top of the hill, where the smell seemed strongest.

After a brief inspection of the house and further examining the smells, Vitrax saw the wreckage for what it was: the work of Acnologia; bane of both man and beast, and shame of the dragon race.

A man had been killed. His body had been swatted away, and had likely succumbed to Acnologia's breath, or perhaps his eyes.

Vitrax followed the trail of wreckage and odor around the house. It led him to a hill, dotted with gravel and boulders. He kept following his nose, this time to a small cleft that housed another body. This time it was a woman with long pink hair. Vitrax snorted at the uselessness of it all. He made a silent promise to see Acnologia dead. He wondered how that fool would take being turned into a pincushion of scales and diamond spears. The crystal quills on the back of the dragon's neck rattled at the thought.

He'd have envisioned several more _colorful _methods of execution but a shrill cry snapped him out of his thoughts. It had come from the woman. Vitrax put two and two together and quickly reached out with his magic, sniffing the air. There was a child clutching the woman's shirt! Exerting a firm, but gentle telekinetic hold on the…boy, it was a boy, Vitrax lifted him away and onto the top of his head. As the baby passed his eyes, the dragon noticed that his clothes had the word "Naruto" printed on them. He supposed that was the child's name. Vitrax then lifted up the woman in the same way, and carried the two back to the house, collecting the man's body as well.

With a thrust of his massive snout, he dug a trench in the earth in front of the house. He placed the man and the woman in gently, then gathered his power and shaped a coffin of indestructible crystal around them. Finally, with another sweep of his snout, he pushed the dirt back into the hole. He completed the grave by making a simple, unmarked headstone out of the same crystal he'd made the coffin with, before wrapping the material around the entire grave.

He didn't know the couple's names, so the headstone wasn't inscribed, and the grave appeared crude, but he had assured that no bandits or marauders could spoil it, and that the couple had been given due respect.

That left…the kid. Vitrax had never taken a human student before, and he had hoped he'd never have to. However, this child had just lost both of his parents, and was just a _baby_, for God's sake. He couldn't leave the child. Vitrax sighed when the baby yawned and nestled into the scales on his head. He couldn't have left the kid if his life depended on it now.

The crystal dragon took to the air, Naruto soundly asleep on top of his snout.


	3. A new home, a new friend

**Aaaaand…what is UP my cheezits? Sorry I keep calling you guys that I've just kinda taken to it. Anywhoozle, thank you all. This story has gotten a lot of positive attention, and I'd like to thank all my reviewers, particularly those of you who offered any criticism.**

**I really can't stress it enough, because if you prove that you cared enough to read carefully and help a writer out, we appreciate it so much. I'm sorry I'm just **_**really **_**happy right now.**

**Anyways, I'm hoping to make this my second-fastest (and highest-quality) subsequent upload yet. Lemme know if I screw something up.**

_**Fun fact: Crystals can reflect and bend light (this fun fact has been added for no apparent reason)**_

**STORY TIME!**

***dattebayo***

He felt sad. He felt…empty. He was feeling things that he'd never felt with Vitrax around. His adoptive dad never let him feel this way. Whenever he got hurt, Vitrax would use a combination of magic and medicinal herbs and tonics to patch him up, before telling him take better care of himself in a reprimanding, yet gentle tone. The few times he got sad or had bad dreams, his dad would nuzzle him until he calmed down, then show him pretty jewels and lights, which always made him laugh.

One thing hadn't changed since Naruto's adoption by Vitrax. The hyperactive child was chronically happy (most of the time).

Now, however, there was none of that, Naruto thought. All he had now were the clothes on his back, a meager amount of cash a nice old man had insisted on giving him, since he'd looked terrible entering town, and his magic. All in all, it wasn't very much.

He'd gladly exchange it all for his adoptive dad to talk to him again in that deep, gentle voice. To hear his laugh – a loud, booming, chortle that was horribly infectious. To hear him tell stories about the stars and the world beneath them, about the plants that withered in the winter but grew again into beautiful works of Mother Nature in the spring. To hear his roar, long and loud as he flew with Naruto to pick lilacs in the spring, because he knew that they were Naruto's favorite flower. To see his eyes, full of pride as Naruto learned a spell, or learned to swim, or caught a grasshopper. To run alongside his dad, who would be moving his 100-plus-foot long body agonizingly slow along the flowery meadows where they made their home, just to let him win the race.

Naruto had known that he was adopted, of course. When he'd turned eight, Vitrax had taken him to his birth parents' grave. Vitrax described how he'd found Naruto in his mother's arms, not making a sound.

_Flashback_ _Start_

_When Naruto saw the house, now just a pile of wood and other debris, and asked "Hey, is that where we lived?" Vitrax could do nothing but offer a simple nod._

_Naruto knelt at the grave, as perfect as it had been the day it was made, touched the bright red stone slab that covered it, and asked "Hey, daddy, why is it red? Isn't red a bad color? Like, for death and blood and stuff?"_

_The almighty crystal dragon scoffed at that. "A fool's interpretation." he had said. "Red is the color of love, fire, power, and passion. You will learn, Naruto," he said "that gems come in all colors, and what __you__ mean by them is what truly matters." He made a deep hum-hum sound in his throat, and Naruto leaned against the dragon's neck, finding comfort against the adamantine hide that jutted with sharp studs._

_Vitrax made the hum-hum sound again, enveloping Naruto in the warmth of his neck. "Your birth parents were very passionate people, and they loved you." He lightly pushed Naruto off of his neck and craned it to the side to meet Naruto's eyes._

_"A parent's child is their life, son. They fought for you, they thought of you, and most importantly, they loved you, just as I love you," he said forcefully, but kindly._

_Naruto considered that for a few seconds. He nodded, but then seemed puzzled when he thought of the words "they fought for you." "Daddy, how did they die?"_

_Vitrax sighed. He looked conflicted. "I sometimes wished this would never come." he said. "But I have a duty to both your parents and you. Naruto, this is the truth." He gazed deep into Naruto's eyes. "A very bad dragon attacked your home. He killed your birth parents. I arrived shortly after that. I could do nothing for them but give them a proper burial, and swear to care for their parentless child. I am sorry it happened, Naruto."_

_Naruto hadn't known what to feel, then. He'd felt confused. He knew he should be sad, but he didn't feel anything. He was blank._

_He had looked back to the grave, and said "Daddy, why would a dragon do this? It doesn't make sense."_

_Gently, Vitrax responded "This world rarely does, my boy. Acnologia…" he abruptly stopped speaking, turning away._

_Naruto had cocked his head to the side. "What's Acnologia?" he asked._

_Vitrax had shaken his head. "Forget it, Naruto. Here…" he flipped Naruto onto his head, his son grabbing hold of the horns on his brow._

_As they took off, Vitrax said. "It is nothing. Let's just go home, and I'll teach you a new spell." That, of course, had taken Naruto's mind off things. Vitrax never said the strange word "Acnologia" again._

_Flashback End_

Naruto flipped the silver coin into the air absentmindedly, catching it as it came back down as he leaned against the stone wall next to the market stands; on one side: screaming customers forcing clerks to talk, compute, and hand out products all at the same time; on the other side: nothing; just an empty street. His eyes were aimed into the space in front of him, his mind lost in memory.

Suddenly, he missed a catch, drawing him from his thoughts, and the coin rolled onto the street and become lost among the feet of the bazaar's patrons. His enhanced hearing heard the _plink _of the 50-jewel doubloon falling into the river. The blonde child pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them.

"I can't hold on to anything, can I?" he muttered, more bitter than he'd ever been. The blonde child felt his cheeks grow wet, and his vision blurred. He touched his cheek – tears. Why? He never cried; Vitrax never let him get sad…Vitrax…_Daddy_…

Before he could do anything to hold it in, Naruto was sobbing uncontrollably, the sound drowned out by men and women shouting prices and wants to vendors at their stands. He was almost glad, as the overwhelming noise let him vent his sorrow in peace.

_Daddy…you promised my parents you'd take care of me…you loved me…we were family…why did you…why'd you have to leave me…why?_

Naruto kept crying. He cried until the patrons began to thin out; he cried until the sun grew orange and began sinking in the sky; he cried until something small tugged on the leg of his pants. He ceased sobbing, and he looked up from his knees, eyes puffy and red, both dried and wet tears staining his face.

A small, black cat, with pointy ears like the lynxes he'd seen when Vitrax took him to the mountains, was trying to get his attention. The little thing's claws had already torn a couple tiny holes in his pants – the dark blue pants and leather belt, along with the orange shirt and black vest that Vitrax had left him. He'd been walking barefoot, as he always had.

The blonde quickly pulled his foot away from the offending feline before its claws could do any more damage.

His sadness replaced momentarily by frustration, he eyed the tiny gouges in the fabric.

"Dumb cat." he choked out through his throat, sore from sobbing, wiping his eyes, still concentrating on possible ways to fix his pants.

To his surprise, someone answered. "That's not nice. You looked sad. I just wanted to see if I could help you feel better."

Naruto's eyes shot up and he got out of his sitting position. Where'd the voice come from? The sun had sunk even lower and it was almost dark. The bazaar was empty…who could have-?

"Hey," the mystery voice cut into his train of thought, "I'm down here!"

The blond sniffed, wiped his eyes again, and then looked down. No way…a talking cat? He stooped to the cat's level.

"You…can talk?"

The cat nodded. "Yup."

The blonde scratched the back of his neck, something he did whenever he was embarrassed. Talking to a cat was most certainly embarrassing.

"But, you're a cat." he said, very matter-of-fact.

The cat folded its arms. "And you're a monkey…except that you smell more like a lizard. Yeah, a lizard, and flowers, and dirt, and new grass."

Naruto couldn't help it. His throat was sore and his face cracked with dried tears, but he laughed for the first time since Vitrax had disappeared. He laughed so hard that he fell into a fit, both arms over his stomach, bending over with the force of his mirth. Eventually, he slowed down and the laughs degenerated into a cough. Naruto stopped and cleared his throat, before wiping at his eyes again, though he had little tears to shed. The cat had smelled the meadow! The cat had smelled home on him! And called him a monkey! The mention of a lizard (obviously Vitrax) was a bit of a bite, but he was able to ignore it.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but that was really funny! Here…" He got down on one knee and extended his hand to the cat, though he was sure any passerby would think him crazy (if there were any). Vitrax had taught Naruto to be a polite boy when the situation demanded it. _Vitrax…ugh, stop being sad Naruto! _he told himself.

The cat—well, on closer inspection, more like an older kitten in appearance—offered a paw in return. Naruto gripped it (gently) and shook it, marveling at the contrast between the hard pads on the underside of the cat's paw and the softness of the dark brown fur on the other side.

"I'm sorry I got mad earlier. You were right, I _was_ sad…but you helped, so thank you. You're a nice guy. I'm Naruto, by the way. Naruto Uzumaki."

The cat…er, older kitten…uum, _feline_ smiled so wide its eyes closed. It held one hand up in a greeting, while using the other to play with the pointy tuft of hair on the tip of one of its ears. Naruto noticed that it had little streaks of white fur framing its cheeks and neck, the only places where the fur wasn't midnight black.

"Hee-hee. I'm not a guy cat. My name's Vicky, but you can call me Tori. Nice to meet you!"

Naruto's jaw dropped. First he meets a talking cat, then it practically tells him the story of his life with its _nose_, and then he gets its gender wrong. And those were both nicknames!

_Hmm…my life's story with a smell…_Naruto inhaled deeply, then smiled and said "Well, Tori, _you _smell like the woods and metal…" Then, as an afterthought, he added "and fish."

Naruto's new friend looked at him quizzically. "That's right," she said, "but humans couldn't tell that from smelling."

The blonde just shrugged and said "I've got a good nose. Probably a bit better than yours." He had phrased the last part gently so as not to upset her, but inside he felt a bit of pride; he knew for a fact his sense of smell was better than most animals, certainly an adolescent cat. Naruto had always had a competitive spirit. Luckily for him, Tori seemed more curious then upset.

Naruto looked around for other people. The sun had gone down completely, leaving himself and Tori in the dwindling twilight.

He cocked his head to the side. "Do you have anywhere to go? It's dark, and you're still kind of a kitten…"

Tori let out a small gasp, seemingly somewhat offended. "Hey! I'm four months old now! I'm _not _a kitten!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Then, what are you? 'Cuz you sure aren't a 'cat.'"

Tori folded her arms again. It seemed that she had a habit of doing that.

"I'm a teenager – a big kitten." Tori declared, turning away from Naruto and sticking her chin out, eyes closed.

Naruto sweat-dropped. _Uh…That was preeeetty much what I meant._

Tori turned back to him. "But, I do have somewhere to stay."

Naruto smiled warmly. "Cool! Do your parents talk, too?"

Tori's eyes turned to the ground, and she put her paws together.

"I…I don't know. I never met my Mama and Papa." She sounded very sad, and it was obvious to Naruto that he had breached a sensitive topic.

_Oh no_, Naruto thought. S_he came over here to make me feel better, and now I've made her feel sad. _Vitrax hadn't known very much about the way humans thought, as he only knew what he had seen, but he had been able to tell Naruto that he must, under absolutely no circumstances, make a female cry or allow one to cry uncomforted.

Naruto put his hand out and rubbed Tori's head gently, but with enough strength to snap her out of her funk. She bit her lip and met his brilliant blue eyes with her own gold ones, wet from held back tears.

Naruto placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed. "Hey, it's fine," he said, stern but gentle, just as Vitrax would do to him to snap him out of sadness, "I never knew my parents either. We're the same."

Tori sniffled. Although she could match Naruto's vocabulary well enough, she was very clearly still (biologically and emotionally) younger than him. Or maybe she was getting so emotional because she'd never had anybody at all?

Tori let out a squeak as Naruto hoisted her into his arms. She beat at his chest with her paws. "Put me down!" she said, almost hissing.

"Nope." Naruto replied, not pausing at all.

Tori remained indignant. "Why?"

Naruto held up five fingers and began counting them off as she clambered out of his arms to sit on his shoulder. "One: I like talking with you; Two: You said you had a place to stay, and I don't; Three: I have no idea where I am, and was hoping you could tell me about the area. Four: You're sad, and I was taught to never let a girl cry; Five: You're officially my first friend, which makes you my only friend, which makes you my best friend, which sorta validates numbers two through four."

Tori just looked at him like he was stupid, but there was a smile in her golden eyes.

"So, where am I going?" he asked.

Tori giggled in a very cat-ish manner and pointed the exact opposite direction to the way her transport was walking. "That way."

Naruto groaned, but turned around without complaint to find a _cat's _house, because said _talking _cat was now his best friend.

All thoughts of Vitrax (for the moment) forgotten, Naruto trudged down the dark, cold, empty bazaar, listening with a big smile to Tori describing the extent of her earring collection, feeling, for reasons he didn't quite get, very happy.

***dattebayo***

The night had passed normally enough. Tori's "place" had been the shade of a tree next to a small pond. Tori had curled up on the grass while Naruto slept in a sitting position, leaning against the trunk of the tree they were under.

After they had both woken up, Tori had immediately displayed her earring collection to Naruto. He'd been baffled by the fact that she didn't have a single pair of earrings, only one of each kind, despite the collection being so vast. Tori had explained that she only had ones she'd found lying around, so the chances of picking up a matching pair were slim.

Odder still was the fact that she didn't even _wear _the earrings. Naruto's curiosity won over him, and he asked why she even collected them in the first place. Tori had thrown a bit of a hissy-fit, and believe me; you have not heard a hissy fit until you hear one from a cat _actually _hissing at you. Hell hath no fury like a lioness scorned.

She'd calmed down, eventually, and simply said that collecting them gave her something to do, and it made her happy. As far as Naruto was concerned, that was good enough.

They stayed at the pond throughout some of the afternoon, Tori telling Naruto what she knew about Oaktown. What interested Naruto most was the fact that Oaktown had its own mage guild, and it was supposedly the strongest one in Fiore. A mage himself, Naruto had known since he'd been left on his own that joining a guild would always be his best option, but he'd had no clue at all where to start looking for one, or how you even joined. Vitrax had told him all about mages and guilds, but the dragon hadn't been very specific, considering as he had never belonged to a guild.

He figured he'd just march into their guild hall and ask the next day. Because Phantom Lord's building was a good distance from Tori's pond, he figured getting some food and sleep would be a better use of his time.

Almost on cue, as Tori continued telling Naruto about the town as they sat under the tree, Naruto's stomach let out a fierce growl, effectively silencing his feline friend.

Tori pointed an accusatory finger at him. "You're rude! Don't interrupt people when they're talking!"

He chuckled for a second, then noticed that her finger, claw extended, was about an inch from his forehead.

He brushed her arm away, then retorted "I can't help it if I'm hungry! I don't have control over my stomach! And you're a cat, not a person!"

"Monkey!" she retorted.

"Hairball!" Naruto was glaring now.

"Jerk!" Tori had met the challenge, and they were now in a staring contest.

"Mouse eater!" Naruto was trying to keep his gaze on his opponent without chuckling.

"Dumb blonde!" Tori almost lost herself to laughter.

Naruto thought for a second. "Ya know, somehow I get the feeling that was meaner than it sounded." And then they broke.

With that, they fell over, breaking down into helpless peals of laughter. They rolled on the ground, crying tears of mirth and clutching their stomachs. They recovered, slowly, cackling while trying to sit up straight again.

"Anyway," Naruto began, trying to keep the giggles out of his voice, "I wanna join that Phantom Lord guild you mentioned. I was thinking I'd walk there tomorrow and ask about joining up."

His furry companion looked at him seriously with wide-eyes.

"You're a mage?" It was clear that she didn't believe it.

"Oh, yeah," Naruto said, trying not to sound embarrassed, "I guess I haven't told you yet." He proceeded to tell her about Vitrax and how the dragon had taken him in when his parents died. He told her about the grave, and how Vitrax had told him that his parents had died at the hands of a dragon. Lastly, he told her that his adoptive father had taught him dragon slaying magic, and had disappeared just a couple days ago.

Tori sat still for a few moments to digest what she'd heard. Eventually she asked "Why did he leave?"

Naruto rubbed his temples with the first two fingers of each hand. "I have no idea. We were family. He took care of me, took me to cool places. He was my dad. I didn't care that he was a dragon…I loved him." _Darn, I gotta keep it together. _Naruto thought. Whenever he thought at any length about his childhood or his dad, he still got choked up.

Tori climbed up Naruto's back and sat on his shoulder like she had the night before, except this time she wasn't looking for transportation, she was trying to provide comfort.

"He doesn't sound all bad…but still...that's…I don't know how to say it." she said, trying to warm up Naruto's clearly glacial mood, but completely lost as to how. What _do _you say when someone tells you that they're parents were murdered while they were a baby, and then a dragon adopted them, only to subsequently abandon said adoptee around a decade later?

Naruto patted her back to show that he appreciated what help she'd been able to give, and she hopped off of his shoulder.

Seeing that he calmed down, Tori asked the million-dollar question. "Can you show me?"

Naruto shook his head quickly to break his momentary depression, then quickly clarified that he had not been shaking his head "no."

He smiled, positivity restored. "Yeah, I can. But some of the moves dad taught me take up lots of magic power, so I don't wanna overdo it. I still might look at some of the town before tomorrow."

He thought for a second of what to show her, excluding the half-a-dozen-or-so moves he hadn't perfected yet. Naruto stood up, stretching first. He crossed his forearms and splayed out his fingers. He planted his feet as firmly as he could, then gave a vocal command.

"_Crystal Dragon's Talons_!" Naruto shouted.

Two violet magic circles flashed into existence; one in front of Naruto's crossed arms and the other under his feet. There was a loud _shink _as inch-and-a-half vibrant purple crystal claws shot from his toes and fingers, and his hands and feet were covered by scales of the same substance. The scales on the blonde's knuckles were overlapped by sharp, crystalline studs, and Naruto's shins and ankles received some additional light plating.

Tori watched, awestruck. She simply sat and watched as Naruto picked up a large rock, at least two feet in diameter, and broke it into pieces with a single uppercut, sending several chunks flying. Naruto jumped after them, and then spun into a windmill kick, belying the weight of his crystal armor, and turning the fist-sized rocks into pebbles.

When Naruto landed amid the hail of dust and pebbles, he simply dropped his arms to his sides and exhaled, releasing the technique. The talons, fast as they had appeared, eroded away into tiny, shining particles.

The lone spectator had one word. "Cool…"

Naruto put on a smug grin. "I know I am. I'm not done yet, though! Watch this!"

He bent and scooped up a couple of the larger pebbles that remained of the small boulder he'd demolished, and promptly popped them in his mouth, chewing enthusiastically. The sound of grinding rock echoed across the pond.

After a couple seconds, Naruto spat dust and started picking at his teeth with a twig.

"Bit grainy, but at least I'm not hungry anymore." he said. Addressing his friend, he said "Dragon Slayers can eat their element to recover magic power and stamina. And if we're hurt, eating our element can heal us. I just can't eat crystal I've made myself."

Tori was puzzled. "You said your element is crystals, though. You just ate a _rock_. Crystals are pretty, like diamonds."

Naruto smiled big. "I can eat those, too. Dad would give me really pretty crystals on my birthday. 'Course I'd just eat them all right away and he'd laugh at me. Something about savoring my food properly…" he trailed off, then shook his head. "Whatever. Anyway, something is a crystal because of how it's put together. It's a kind of structure. Most rocks have it and some metals too. Usually, if it's solid, I can eat it."

Tori blinked for a second, processing this information. Then she smirked, and said "It's nice, but my magic is way better!"

Naruto's eyes widened. He hadn't expected _that_. _She can use magic? _he thought. _Well, why not? I didn't think cats could talk._

Tori bounced on her feet a little before, closing her eyes and hopping into the air. The young Dragon Slayer's eyes felt the urge to leave his skull as a sea-green magic seal appeared over the cat's back, followed by a pair of feathery wings.

Tori was hovering in the air, a smug grin on her face.

Naruto fell backwards, spread eagled on the grass. "Hey, Tori," he muttered, "we can hold off on going into town tonight. We'll check out Phantom tomorrow."

The cat deactivated her magic and cocked her head.

"Why?"

Naruto laughed. "Because this is already _way _too much for one day!"

As Tori chuckled, Naruto thought about this new world he'd walked into. _Geez, a talking cat's not that odd, but a flying cat? Sheesh, this place is weird. I wonder if all towns are like this._

Naruto Uzumaki, child of Vitrax, and crystal dragon slayer, had walked into a world he couldn't fully understand. But that was okay, because in the end, he liked it.

***dattebayo***

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	4. Uzumaki, the Phantom mage

The first thing Naruto noticed was noise. A _lot _of noise. Phantom's guild hall was huge, but the shouting, arguing, and cheering created a din that wouldn't have been contained by a structure twice as big. Naruto's enhanced senses were screaming at him to _get the hell out of this ungodly noisy place _before his eardrums exploded. Tori was folding her paws over her tufted ears in obvious annoyance.

Naruto quickly broke away from his stock-still position at the door before people started staring at him, and walked over to the bar at the far end of the guild hall. Then, lo and behold, he had to scrunch up his nose as the overwhelming odor of grease, sweat, cheap cologne, and alcohol hit him. Tori put a paw over her own nose. Considering that both of them had been primarily living in the wild for as long as they could remember, the overly-urban smell was something they hadn't been prepared for.

Naruto steadied himself. _Jeez, first my ears, now this? This is gonna take some getting used to, but I'm not leaving empty-handed! _

When the pair reached the bar—ironically, the quietest spot in the building, it seemed—Naruto quickly pulled a chair out and sat down, Tori remaining in her place on top of his head. Naruto didn't have much of an idea of where to go from there, as—quite obviously—he had never been inside a mage guild before, much less joined one. Well, when you don't know what the hell to do, you ask someone who does.

Naruto cupped his hands and called "Bartender!"

A couple seconds after that, a blur flashed in front of Naruto and Tori, startling them considerably. It was revealed to be a grizzled man that Naruto estimated to be in his early forties, with a shaved head. He had a fine layer of scruff across his cheeks, chin, and upper lip. He was dressed in a black leather biker vest left unzipped, and worn cargo shorts secured with a leather belt that sported a bright silver buckle with an engraved lightning bolt. The man gave Naruto a curious look as he absentmindedly cleaned a clay mug with a rag.

Naruto made a mental note to be careful around this guy. Aside from the man's inhuman speed, the open vest revealed a very muscular frame, while the man's face sported a long scar from his temple to his jawline, and indifferent eyes that had a surprisingly disgruntled glint to them, as if the aloof, battle-scarred bartender was bored with the world, and mad at it because it bored him.

Naruto was intimidated, but he found the man intensely interesting. _That speed of his is insane! I couldn't even see him! I shouldn't make him mad, but maybe I could get him to teach me how to do that… _

The man raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a sneer.

"Ya done trying to figure out my life's story, kid?" he asked, sounding rather perturbed. The mug and rag were on the counter, his arms folded over his chest.

Naruto snapped out of "observation mode," his eyes wide. _Oh no_. For her part, Tori at least seemed a bit embarrassed for him.

"Uh, sorry," he blurted out. "I've just never seen anyone move that fast, that's all."

That wasn't the whole answer and the man probably knew it, but he just shrugged.

"It's called _God Leg_, kid. You do know what magic is, right?" the man scoffed.

_That was mean_. Vitrax had only told him that there were lots of types of magic, more than any mortal could count. He didn't know specifics about anything other than Dragon Slayer magic, but he hated being underestimated. This guy knew nothing about him!

With the most potent dose of sarcasm he could muster, Naruto said "No, I have _not _heard of magic, the power that pretty much seems to _run _this world."

The bartender bit back what would have probably been a scathing response.

"Whatever, kid. Wanna explain who you are? I ain't seen ya before, and that means you ain't part of Phantom Lord. I'm not who your supposed to see about job requests. Hell, ya don't even go to the guilds for that." The man sneered again. "Oh yeah, make sure your furball doesn't get any hair in the drinks."

Tori growled. "Don't call me a furball," she hissed, though it was obvious from her voice that she was slightly scared of the man.

The bartender blinked. "Talking cat…eh, I've seen weirder. Answer me, kid; whaddya want?"

Hearing the man write off his new best friend as unimportant, the blonde quickly moved to her defense.

"This is my partner, Tori," he declared proudly. "And she is way cooler than any old talking cat."

The man scraped greasy fingernails over the scruff on his cheeks, making a rough *scritch* that was reminiscent of sandpaper.

"Kid, do I look like I care?"

Naruto ignored the question and steeled his resolve. "I'm new in town. I was hoping I could join Phantom Lord."

The man leaned forward. Then he opened his mouth, a question in his eyes.

_Gah_, Naruto thought, _I knew it. Does no one believe that I'm a mage?_

"You a mage, kid?"

_Grr…son of a…gyaah! _Naruto's magic power spiked. "You want a demonstration?" He was _so _going to make this guy eat his words.

The bartender grinned. "Easy, kid. I can tell what you are, now. Your power spiked. Ya got more than most mages twice yer age, but you gotta control it better. If yer serious about joining up, you can talk to the _Master_." There was a hint of venom riding on that last word, and Naruto didn't miss it at all. But then, the bartender gave the pair an amused smile.

"You, an' the cute lil' furball on yer head." The man's attitude seemed to have taken a one-eighty.

"Ok…where's the Master?" he asked.

"Balcony."

Naruto nodded and walked away to the stairs that the bartender had pointed out. Tori fluffed his hair to get his attention.

"He's weird," she said.

Naruto hopped onto the first step. "I see what you mean," he said. "He was a complete jerk at first, then he was almost…I dunno…sorta laughing at us. Well, except when we asked where the master was. I don't think he likes the master that much."

Tori checked her "nails." "Don't know, don't care. Do you think the bar has any fish?"

"Don't know, don't care," was the retort.

Tori hopped onto Naruto's shoulder and started clawing at his vest. The blonde yelped in surprise and frantically yanked her off before another one of his garments was violated by those horrible claws. He kept walking as he berated her.

"Darnit, Tori! I don't have any other clothes!" he yelled, holding her away from himself as she slashed wildly.

"You shouldn't have said you didn't care!" she snapped, still as indignant as ever.

"That's what you told me, though!" he replied, face red with anger.

"But I'm a lady! You're supposed to let me win!" she declared, crossing her arms triumphantly over her chest.

"You. Are. A. Freaking. Kitten!"

"I'm not!"

"Oh, yes you are!"

"Am not!"

"Are to!"

"My, my. What _do _we have here?" spoke a deep, entrancing voice.

Naruto and Tori promptly shut up and looked to the side. It seemed that they were at the top of the stairs. Standing about five feet away from them was a tall, lean, middle-aged man wearing a puffy pair of cream-colored pants, pointed, purple boots, a shirt that matched the pants, a purple mantle, and a pointed purple hat, like what a wizard in a comic series might've wore. To top it all off, he seemed _extremely_ amused.

"Uh…" the culprits began at the same time.

The man immediately burst out laughing. It was as deep and musical as the man's speech, but it was also scary, even slightly manic.

Naruto gulped. "Um…I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"

"I'm Tori!"

"We wanna join Phantom Lord!" they said simultaneously, puffing out their chests.

The man stopped laughing. "Well then, you have come to the right man. I assume that Gex sent you up here. He's the only one who cares to disturb my free time." He gave an elegant bow. "I am Master Jose Porla, fourth Master of Phantom Lord, and Wizard Saint."

He rose. "Now, while I can sense your power, Phantom Lord doesn't take just anyone. We have a very solid reputation as the strongest guild in Fiore. You have power. The question is: can you prove to me that you know how to use it?"

Naruto grinned evilly. "You want a piece of me, old man?" Pale purple magic power wisped off of Naruto's hands.

Jose chuckled. Then, a quick spike of power filled the air, effectively shutting down Naruto's, as well as bringing both him and Tori to their knees. This energy was purplish-black, murky. It was scary, and Naruto could swear that it stank, too.

"I'm afraid that you can't touch me, Naruto-kun, Tori-chan. However, you have the right attitude. Let's go downstairs." Naruto and Tori got up and uneasily followed the man back down to the main floor.

Jose gave a magic-augmented shout.

"Gajeel!"

There was silence, except for the sound of footsteps. The sheer amount of noise that had been halted spoke volumes as to the respect, and perhaps fear, that the guild held for its master.

After a minute, a boy about Naruto's age with long, shaggy black hair and several piercings stood in front of them. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah?"

"This young man would like to join our little family. Considering you are about the same age, I was hoping, Gajeel-kun, that you would be so kind as to test his mettle, hmm?"

The boy named Gajeel raised an eyebrow. "Really, old man? I have to fight this wimp?"

_Oh, hell no_. "Who're you callin' a wimp?" Naruto shot back, red in the face.

"Come on, he'll probably go down in two seconds." The other boy was pointedly ignoring Naruto. Jose was just grinning, not answering the questions. The guild had crowded around to watch.

Tori tried to say something, but Naruto patted her on the head. He was gonna make them understand that he was not to be messed around with.

_I got this, partner._ She understood, and gave him a nod.

When Gajeel finally looked at his "opponent," he saw teeth as sharp as his own bared in his direction.

"Don't ignore me!" the blonde growled. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, Crystal Dragon Slayer!" Now, _that _got a reaction. Gajeel's eyes widened, the guild sent out some "oohs," and Jose smiled. The last served to freak everyone out a bit.

"You're a Dragon Slayer, seriously?" Completely contrary to his previous attitude, Gajeel seemed _very_ interested.

Actions speak louder than words, Naruto remembered. "_Crystal Dragon's Talons_!" From the sidelines, Tori saw the magic circles and claws appear, just like they had the previous day.

"This'll be good! _Iron Dragon's Club_!" Gajeel's arms turned into metal rods with a sharp *clink*.

The guild members started cheering as the two ran at each other.

The ensuing fight would have two major effects: one being that Naruto and Tori were accepted into Phantom Lord with open arms, and the other being that Gajeel Redfox and Naruto Uzumaki were rivals from that day forward. It made plenty of sense to both of them as to why, but flew completely over the heads of everyone else. They were both pretty tough for their age, they were stubborn kids who refused to take _anything_ from _anybody_, and most of all, they were both Dragon Slayers.

Over the next few months, Naruto was able to sort out who meant what to him in the guild. He cared about only a few, really. Gajeel was his frienemy. An odd relationship, but there wasn't really anyone else he could relate to. Tori was like his adopted sister, if you could call a flying cat a sister. Gex was the guy you talked to if you had a problem that fell outside your experience. The man was surprisingly jovial when one got to know him. However, the few times Naruto had gotten to see him fight, Gex had proven absolutely terrifying. He'd apparently been nicknamed "Rocket" in his youth. Nowadays, the man only used his God Leg when he needed spare change.

Naruto would later learn that the reason the bartender held such animosity for the guild Master was because they had competed for the position, and it had come down to a battle between the two. Gex would say no more than that Jose had used "some dirty trick" to pull out a win. The man was gruff, but Naruto and Tori liked him.

About the innumerable other members of the guild…indifference. Naruto didn't really care for them overmuch. He had no problem with them, and if someone asked him for help he'd usually give it, but he had no other relationships within the guild hall of the Ghost King.

***dattebayo***

He inhaled deeply. It was mid-summer, and the air was warm and dry. He found it soothing after having spent a week thrashing giant centipedes in the nearby forest. The job had been tough, yeah, but it had paid well. So well, in fact, that he was set up for the next couple of months, which meant he could take time to train, which he didn't do as often as he thought he should.

He felt the hard dirt scratch his feet as he walked down the path. He found it somewhat funny, really. Three years since his dad had left him with one pair of clothes and no shoes, and his outfit had barely changed. He wore what was pretty much a larger version of the outfit he'd donned at 12, while he still went barefoot. Any kind of footwear was a big no-no, since his favorite technique would shred anything on his hands or feet to pieces. It's not like he minded: walking on your bare soles for your entire life made them pretty damn tough. Hell, he'd have to walk on a road of coals and thorns just to stub his toe! Well, okay, that was an exaggeration, but you get it, right?

He tried not to think that much as his feet went pat-pat on the path; thinking ruined good moments. Tori purred/snored on his shoulder. She'd been flying him around nonstop during the mission, and so he'd insisted she sleep on the trip home, since he had more stamina.

That was another thing: home. They didn't ask for much. Hell, if it wasn't for the distance between there and the guild, the pair would still be sleeping in Tori's old grove in the woods, which they still visited sometimes when they wanted to unwind. Now, they had a simple apartment, about a half-mile from the guild. It composed of a kitchen, living room, bedroom, and bathroom. They lived off of fish and cup ramen, the latter of which Naruto had discovered to be the epitome of all things right and good as soon as he'd tried it.

Ah, ramen. Now that was a happy thought. Naruto started daydreaming about ramen. There were bowls of ramen...no, gallons of ramen…no, an _ocean _of ramen. Scratch that, an ocean of _miso _ramen, and a big glass of pink lemonade on a picnic table in their grove back home, surrounded by lilacs. Ah, perfection. Pure euphoria.

Just as he began to enjoy his completed paradise, Naruto's perfect daydream shattered, as his foot struck something, almost tripping him. He looked down at the rock, log, or wayward piece of junk that had _dared_ deny him his daydreams about the nectar of the gods. He was surprised to see that it was none of those things. Instead, it was a boy, probably only a year or two younger than himself, head propped up on a backpack and arms folded over his chest, with spiky pink hair and a boyish face. The kid was wearing a red shirt and olive green shorts. On his feet were a simple pair of sandals, and there was a scarf around his neck.

The boy was snoring loudly, a comedic bubble from his nose inflating and deflating with his chest rising and falling. The whole scene was seriously rather adorable, and Naruto had to resist the urge to laugh at the kid. He peeked behind the pinkette's head and saw, to his very great surprise, a blue cat sleeping on its stomach. Well, goddamn. There was a green Fairy Tail guild crest on its back. The kid's shirt had hitched up on his arm, and Naruto noticed the same mark in red on his shoulder. The blonde subconsciously touched his chest, where his burnt orange Phantom Lord badge was hidden by his shirt.

Now, Naruto may have disliked having to solve problems with his head, or thinking in general, or people who thought too much, but he was far from dumb. He just considered the act of thinking overrated. After all, he could solve a lot more problems by hitting than he could by thinking. But I digress. In any case, Naruto's mind was able to put two and two together with relative ease. Pink hair plus cat plus Fairy Tail crest equals Natsu Dragneel, aka the Salamander of Fairy Fail, aka Fire Dragon Slayer.

Now, on the one hand, according to Master Jose, he was obligated to beat the crap out of this kid, based on the fact that he was from Fairy Tail. On the other hand, Naruto didn't make a habit of beating people up for dumb reasons, and Jose was fanatic in his dislike of Fairy Tail. Naruto was just a competitive 15-year-old, though, and he was admittedly curious about the Salamander. After all, he himself was one of the "Twin Dragon Swords" of Phantom Lord. He'd disliked the nickname that the _Weekly Sorcerer_ had decided to land him and Gajeel with. At the very least, he and this guy could compare monikers, right?

Naruto bent down, then took Tori off of his shoulder and set her to sleep on the grass. She immediately curled up and continued her purr-like snoring. That taken care of, Naruto lightly shook the younger boy by the shoulder. Natsu made a spluttering sound and opening his eyes, blinking a few times. Behind him, the blue-furred cat stayed sleeping.

"Ugh, who the heck're you? Why'd you wake me up?" The pinkette was a bit ticked, it seemed.

Naruto grabbed one of Natsu's hands and shook it quickly, startling the younger mage. "Naruto Uzumaki. Crystal Dragon Slayer of Phantom Lord. It's nice to meet you, Salamander. Oh, and by the way, sleeping in the middle of the road is a _bad idea_." Naruto winked.

"Phantom?" Natsu mumbled, letting the bit about sleeping in the road go in one ear and out the other. "Oh, yeah, I've heard of you guys." Then, his face lit up.

"You're a Dragon Slayer, too? Do you know anything about a dragon named Igneel? He went missing three years ago, and no one even believes he exists except me and Gramps and my friends."

Naruto's breath hitched. It seemed like it wasn't just Vitrax and Metalicana, then.

"Igneel..." he began, "he was your foster father?"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah, that's why I don't get why he left."

Naruto sighed sadly. "I don't know where he is. I don't think anyone does except him." He saw that Natsu was about to protest, and held up a hand.

"You're the third Dragon Slayer I've met, if I count myself. All of us had a dragon father. I had Vitrax, the Crystal Dragon. You had Igneel, the Fire Dragon. My friend Gajeel had Metalicana, the Metal Dragon. All of them went missing three years ago, without a reason. They just vanished. Gajeel and I have both looked high and low for our parents, and we have an agreement to keep an eye out for each other's." Naruto's eyes dropped, and for once, he looked weary. "We haven't found a thing, Natsu. I'm not telling you to give up hope of ever seeing Igneel again, but stop wasting your time looking. I doubt a single one of us will find dragons that, quite obviously, don't want to be found."

Natsu looked absolutely crestfallen for a second, before swallowing back a sob and looking at his feet. Naruto was instantly sorry for what he'd said, though he knew it had been necessary; a kindness, even.

"Sorry," the blonde said, slinging an arm around Natsu shoulders, and feeling the kid stiffen at the contact. "It sucks, but I'm sure we'll see them again. Just not on our terms, eh?"

Natsu nodded and made to get up. Naruto rose with him. The pinkette gave his senior a wicked grin.

"So, you've heard of me?" He popped his knuckles and rolled his neck. "I've heard of you, too. I hear you're pretty tough. So am I!"

Naruto dusted himself off, smug as you please. "How old are you, man?"

"I'm 14!"

The blonde shook his head, still sporting his patented grin, the one that said "I'm-so-much-cooler-than-you-and-we-both-know-it."

"Yeah, I'm 15. I don't believe in bullying."

Natsu snickered. "What? Are you chicken? Afraid of getting your ass whipped by someone younger than you?"

Naruto's grin turned into a happy smile. "Let's go!"

They laughed, and began a friendly—if extreme—spar in the afternoon Fiore sun. Dust kicked up and hearts lifted, and all the while, the two cats remained fast asleep on the side of the road.

***dattebayo***

Tori woke up to a beautiful crescent moon staring back at her. She panicked momentarily, not recognizing where she was, but calmed down was she saw Naruto asleep next to her, having curled up on his side.

She looked to her other side to see another body dozing. This boy had pink hair and wore a red shirt. Next to him was a cat like her, except blue and a bit shorter. Tori was very curious about the new companions, especially the cat, but she still felt overwhelmingly tired, despite having slept almost all of that day.

She crawled over to her adopted brother and curled up against his chest, listening his chest rising and falling. Soon, her purring fell into sync with his snoring, as sleep overtook her again.

***dattebayo***

That was how Naruto Uzumaki and Natsu Dragneel first met, though it is not the end of the story. Apparently, they were both headed to the same train station, so the two mages and their cats spent the next day walking together, and got to know each other better, after telling the curious cats what had happened the previous day.

Naruto and Natsu found themselves meeting up several more times over the next few months, sometimes, planned, sometimes randomly.

Naruto told Gajeel about the meetings once, and the Iron Dragon Slayer had promptly laughed his ass off, calling them "models of true bromance" and "a regular Romeo and Juliet." That had erupted into quite the fight, with the two demolishing half of Phantom's guild hall, and sending the sane running for cover.

Aside from that, it was business as usual, for most. Naruto was still obsessed with ramen, Gajeel got even more piercings, and Natsu still had an obsession with destruction. The only odd thing was Jose Porla. The "Twin Dragon Swords" may have been crazy, but they weren't stupid. It was obvious that the Ghost King had started to be consumed by jealousy as Phantom Lord started losing business to other guilds; particularly Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, and Lamia Scale. But mostly Fairy Tail.

Naruto had an odd feeling about life, then. He and Tori just crossed bridges when they got to them. He'd never felt anxious or scared about his future. His only real goal in life was seeing Vitrax again, but that was a pointless goal to actively pursue, as he saw things.

It was just that…he felt something coming. Something strange. Something abnormal. He had this strange feeling that his life up to this point had been the calm before the storm, and that the storm was on the horizon.

**Whaddup, guys. Just wanna address a couple things.**

**Gex: He's mine. My OC, my character, my brother from another mother, you know how it is.**

**Naruto's personality: As a kid, he was all wound-up energy. That's gonna be different now. I think that in Naruto (the series), Naruto (the charcter) has had his metabolism altered by the fox. Why do you think he can eat so much? Our Naruto here doesn't have a demon in his guts. He's gonna be like the old Naruto at times, while he'll be like Shikamaru at others. He's still a hothead and a bit childish, but only a bit. My Naruto does have a semblance of intelligence and maturity, and he likes to kick it and appreciate his surroundings too. Also, he likes flowers. Only real men sniff roses! (I really don't get the straight guy/flower conflict, being a straight guy who likes flowers.)**

**Gajeel: I think one of the main reasons Gajeel was such a prick in the beginning of canon is that he had no one to relate to. Having a friend early in his life would drastically affect his personality for the better. He's still a maniac, don't get me wrong, and he loves to fight, but he is not the borderline sadist that we got in the Phantom War arc. I mean, look how he's turned out now!**

**Timeskips: A bit sudden I know, and another one at the next update, but I'll stop skipping ahead once we hit canon time if I can help it. I can't/won't cover every arc canon has, though, for obvious reasons. (don't want to/don't need to)**

**Romance: Wait for it. This is not a romance fic. There will be some, as I've said, but it isn't central to the plot, and so it might take a backseat to the other stuff. **

**Phantom War: The primary reason that I had Naruto join Phantom instead of Fairy Tail. No other writer has done what I plan to do, I'm almost dead sure of it. Suffice to say, there will be a war, and some people won't know what side they're on…**

**As always, I love you all. You guys are fucking great in every sense of the word. If I could, I'd hug every single one of you.**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	5. Breaking point

He'd been on the road for hours, and the sun was giving him a pounding headache. Why he had been away for a week and was just now coming back made quite the story.

You see, he'd been bored back in Oaktown; like, _severely_ bored. He hadn't seen any good jobs, and Gajeel was away working, so he couldn't fight with him. He was too strong for most anyone else in Phantom Lord except the Element Four, and he hated having to hang out with them because they were all so…odd. Aria was just plain creepy, what with his ranting about sadness and crying from underneath that blindfold of his. Sol was fucking weird…enough said. Juvia was alright sometimes, but most of the time she was just gloomy and dangerous. Even if you won, trying to fight Juvia on a bad day guaranteed you went home scalded, soaked, and bleeding. Totomaru talked way too much. Honestly, if he liked fire so damn much, he ought to just get it drunk and bang it. His constant pyro-talk was annoying.

So, since Naruto didn't even have a sparring partner to pass the time with, he turned to the only logical alternative: a good prank. Now, most would consider him too mature for that kind of mayhem. I mean, he was 19 years old, lived on his own dime with his best friend/sister, and was widely considered one of the most powerful Phantom mages. However, a prank was just the thing to enflame lost passions, and raise dull spirits. They made everyone laugh.

So, he'd picked out a target: Gex. The bartender seriously needed to lighten up. Most of the time, he acted like there was a keg shoved up his ass. Doctor Naruto prescribed large amounts of concentrated funny, tempered with a drop of humiliation, and a dose of general hilarity.

So, Tabasco sauce, plastic wrap, and a laxative later, Naruto had come into the guild to be offered a job by the man he had thoroughly humiliated. It was simple enough; go to a village outside of the city and subdue some monsters. Admittedly, Naruto had grown a bit nervous when half the description seemed to have been rubbed out by a black marker, and even more so when Gex said that he'd found the job especially for him. Gex never even dealt with the other mage's jobs. If you picked one, you had to log it yourself. Well, whatever. Naruto was confident in both his own skills and Tori's. It also had a hefty reward. He took the job.

This was when he learned that payback was _bitch_. A complete and utter _bitch_. The portion of the request form that had been markered out had probably said just what the monsters were. Succubae covens were dangerous; very dangerous. The fact that he was a guy had made it borderline suicidal. Usually, Mermaid Heel, the all-female guild, took any jobs that involved a succubus or succubae because male mages were defeated and then subsequently eaten about 70% of the time. Granted, they were probably sexed to death, but that still didn't make dying an appealing prospect.

If Tori hadn't been there to break him out of their allure powers and help him fight the she-devils in the air, he'd have died. In fact, Tori going with him was the only reason he wasn't going to remove Gex's head next time he saw him. If the bartender had sent him off alone, it'd have been as good as attempted murder.

His clothes had been all but ruined, so he'd had to go shopping for a new outfit. Honestly, he would have had to do that anyway, so it was no big deal. He'd hit a final growth spurt, and his body had filled out, as well. He now stood at 5'11'', and was lean but muscular. He wasn't ripped, but he didn't need to be. The way he fought was more hand-to-hand than magical, and relied heavily on flexibility. He needed to be thin.

He never tried to look flashy, and this outfit was no different. A pair of black cargo shorts, belted. A white t-shirt, plain except for an orange swirl design on each upper arm. Over that went a sleaveless, burnt orange trench coat the same color as his guild stamp. Then. a pair of navy blue armbands that went over his biceps. Next to last, a black hair tie. His blonde spikes had seldom been trimmed over the years, and now reached his shoulders. The thick hair could be a nightmare, so Naruto usually kept it tied in a high ponytail. Finally, he had his two silver stud earrings that Tori had given him for his 16th birthday. It still amused him that to that very day, Tori didn't wear earrings, yet she collected them. Hell, she'd even offered Gajeel a pair before. He'd declined, of course. It seemed that Gajeel's piercings were a side-effect of his magic and just grew out of his skin.

After shopping and a few days resting at home, he'd headed back to the guild. Gajeel was still gone. Curious, Naruto asked Jose where the Iron Dragon Slayer had gone. Jose had said that Gajeel was away on a special assignment, grinning maniacally. Not one to be put off, Naruto had stubbornly asked the old man what _exactly _this assignment was. When he got his answer, Naruto's jaw hit the ground.

Jose had sent the Iron Dragon to start a war with Fairy Tail. Well, shit. Of all the things that could have happened, this was definitely the worst. He had a friend in Fairy Tail, damnit! Scratch that, Natsu was practically his kid brother! And now he had to fight them?

He looked at Jose's fanatical grin and nearly lost it right then and there. His hand almost started crystallizing, and his teeth ground together. He very nearly exploded, but he caught himself and stalked out. He didn't see Jose's grin disappear, nor did he see those eyes become cold and calculating.

He sat in his recliner at home for a long time, thinking. A cup of instant ramen sat on the table next to him, but he didn't touch it. The nectar of the gods had lost its flavor that day. Eventually, the silence became unbearable and he asked the only person he knew who could understand his plight.

"What should I do, Tori?"

The cat came and curled up on her partners lap. "I'm not sure. Phantom's been our guild for years. But I'm not really happy there."

Naruto sighed in relief. That had been his own thought, but the implications had frightened him. He didn't want to admit that though he was content, he wasn't happy. He reached out and rubbed Tori's head, feeling the soft fur between her ears. She started purring softly, and the sound comforted him. He remembered the time that a short old man had said the same thing to him.

"You remember that time we visited Fairy Tail?" he asked.

"Mmhmm," she purred.

It had been a of couple years ago, when they were walking home with Natsu and Happy. Magnolia had been on the way to Oaktown, and so Naruto had decided to step in and have a look at Fairy Tail for himself. The people were like Phantom members in that they were drunk and rowdy, but unlike Phantom members, they seemed to be smiling. It looked like they were all good friends.

Naruto had been intimidated and a bit freaked out, and wanted to leave, but Natsu had dragged him over to the Master before he could make an escape. Makarov had been polite—nice, even—but had seemed a bit sad when Naruto had pulled his shirt up to present his Phantom crest.

_Flashback _

"_You seem a fine young man," the Master said. He gestured to the guild building and its inhabitants. "I worry about Phantom Lord, you know. I feel that my guild is my home, and its members my children, even though they're a bunch of brats. While I respect Jose, I do not think that Phantom is a home." He smiled sadly. Naruto didn't really know what to say to that, so he had just bowed awkwardly and left._

_Flashback end _

Sometimes, he wished he had what they had. Still, he was uncaring most of the time, so Phantom had suited him well. It was clear-cut and professional. Everyone did their own thing. That is, until now. Jose had muttered about Fairy Tail's growing popularity before, but now he had crossed the line. He'd ordered Gajeel Redfox—who wasn't necessarily bloodthirsty, but very close to it—to start a guild war. Even if nothing came of it, there would be trouble. If a conflict _did _start, the entirety of both guilds would be in very deep shit.

Naruto wasn't sure what he would do if a war _did_ start. He was officially loyal to Phantom Lord, and wouldn't do anything to intentionally screw over his guild, but the sad fact was that Jose was in the wrong. Having thought about it, Naruto decided on a course of action.

"Tori?"

"Yeah?"

"When the scrap heap gets back, we need to figure out what happened. Then, we try to keep things clean between the guilds. I...I honestly don't know what I'd do if it comes to fighting. You with me?"

She smiled. "Yep."

***dattebayo***

Gajeel Redfox did not like having his time wasted. He disliked it so much, in fact, that he had two mental lists related to the subject. The first was a shit-list of assholes who had wasted his time and had therefore earned a beating. The second was made up of things that wasted his time, and therefore sorted out the offenders to be placed on the first list. A few of those things were: giggling, the color pink, talking about feelings, mushy shit in general, questions about his piercings, fancy shit, cowards, and kids.

Now, Gajeel may have loved to fight, but only when it was his own battles. He did _not _enjoy taking a 6-hour train ride to some dumbass town and trashing a building. It got even worse when he had to assault a random bunch of rival guild members and shackle them to a tree. He had to admit, though, that just _listening _to the two idiots walking with the little blue-haired chick had pissed him off. Not nearly enough to start shit over, though.

Suffice to say, Jose Porla had just put himself on his favorite guild member's shit-list by acting like a coward. Gajeel wanted to grind his teeth. He wanted to bite, and kick, and punch. He wanted to break. He had that primal anger, that frustration of being used, that rage a man gets when their pride gets stepped on. He hadn't even wanted to do it…

He shook his head to clear those thoughts as he entered the guild hall. The usual uproar was present, but no one was fighting today, it seemed. He sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. He probably owed Naruto a fight. Since they'd both been off, he and the other 'slayer hadn't had a good fight in months.

He was about halfway through the hall when Jose called to him in that sick, deep, smooth voice of his. "Gajeel-kun, did you complete your mission?"

He had to suppress a growl. "Yeah, I did it. Took care of that extra assignment, too. The fairies have a surprise waitin' for them when they wake up."

Jose smiled then. "Good job, Gajeel-kun."

The Dragon Slayer nodded and grinned, but inside he was snarling. _Take your hand off my dick, ghost man. _

He headed in the direction of the bar. He needed a strong drink; he'd probably eat the tankard it came in, too. He was about to sit down when he felt a strong grip close on his forearm. He winced. Aside from himself, Gex, and Jose, he knew only two Phantom mages with that much physical strength, and he really doubted that Aria wanted to talk with him.

"Yo, scrap heap, we need to talk." The voice was light-hearted and casual, but the grip told Gajeel that it was urgent. He turned to the speaker.

"Look, jewels, can I kick your ass later? I just got back." He hoped the blonde would leave him be, or at least wait a bit. It looked like he was about to get a lecture, and those were _so_ much easier to sit through when he was drunk.

It seemed that Gajeel's luck was in the toilet, though. Naruto leaned in to his rival's ear and let out a dragon growl, showing that he meant business. "Rusty, you wanna keep your _family _jewels, you come with me _now_. We need to talk."

Gajeel groaned and followed Naruto into one of the storerooms behind the bar. He shuddered when the door locked. Since these rooms were practically soundproof, a lot of people used them for making out and doing God-knows-what-else undetected. His eyes widened, and he raised his hands in front of him, as if to ward off evil.

"Whoa, man, don't get the wrong idea. I do _not _swing that way!"

Naruto looked confused for a second, before turning red and spluttering. "That's not the idea, dumbass! I needed to talk to you in private." The blonde's entire face was red.

Gajeel burst out laughing. "You should…see your *snicker*…face!"

Naruto snarled. "Shut up." Gajeel just laughed harder.

When the mirth finally died down, the tables were turned. Gajeel was amused at Naruto's expense, and the blonde was trying to regain the foothold he'd had on the conversation.

Naruto shook his head to clear it. "Let me ask you straight up, what the hell happened with Fairy Tail?"

Gajeel's smile fell. "So that's what this is, huh?"

"Yeah." Naruto nodded.

"I know you've got a connection to them, so I'll tell you everything," Gajeel said, sitting down, "but don't blame me for this shit."

Naruto's eyes widened a bit, but he sat down across from Gajeel and waited patiently.

The man with the piercings began his story. "You know how Jose bitches about Fairy Tail sometimes?"

There was a nod.

"Well, I think he finally lost it. He was reading that stupid magazine, and apparently the fairies took our place at the top. You were out working, I think. It was just me, him, and a few others here. He went frickin' crazy. Told everyone to leave, except me. Then he told me to start a war."

A single eyebrow raised, unbelieving. "That's it?"

Gajeel sighed. He remembered the Master's exact words.

_Flashback_

_Jose leaned in. "Go start a war with Fairy Tail. Make them angry, make them want revenge. I want them to come back here to find you. Do this, and I'll put in a request to have you made a Wizard Saint. Refuse me, and I will make you scream for death before I give it to you." _

_Flashback end_

"I didn't have a choice. If I'd said no, I wouldn't be here."

That explained it. Despite his tough guy image, threatening Gajeel Redfox wasn't impossible. It was just _almost_ impossible, and Jose Porla was one of the few who the Dragon Slayer was certain he couldn't beat in a fight.

"Honestly, do you think it worked?" This was the big question. Would there be a war?

Gajeel looked at his boots, frowning. "If _half_ the shit I've heard about those fairies is true, they'll be here in a day, tops, and they'll want blood."

"Fuck!" Naruto cursed loudly, eliciting some shock from Gajeel. He tried to compose himself. "Do they know it was you?"

Gajeel stood up, agitated. "Of course they do! I threw dragon clubs into their building! They were supposed to _know _it was Phantom, Naruto! I stamped one of their members with the guild crest, for fuck's sake!"

Naruto's eyes went wide again. The cursing was nothing new. If Gajeel was using his first name, though, he must be really on edge.

"Do any of the others know about this?"

"I don't know if Jose's told anyone else. I doubt the entire guild knows, though. If the council got involved, he'd have set himself up as the bad guy by making the entire guild war-crazy."

Naruto accepted that with a nod.

"Okay," he said, "what are we gonna do?"

Gajeel looked away. "What do you mean?" he muttered.

"Don't play stupid!" Naruto yelled, standing up. "I'm not gonna stand here and let Jose pull this shit, and I'm sure as hell not gonna let my only human friend get crucified for it!"

Gajeel grunted. "You ain't my friend, prissy."

The blonde scoffed at that. "Bullshit. You and Tori are the only ones who can stand talking to me, and it's not like you can talk to anyone else in the guild. They're all either really boring or really weird, and they're all scared of you. Both of us, really."

Gajeel hated logic. "Fuck you, man…fine, whatever. Doesn't matter, anyway. You heard me. When Fairy Tail gets here, they'll want payback, and I'm gonna be the one in the sights."

Naruto shook his head. "Not if I can help it, you won't. I'll send Tori to Magnolia tonight with a letter. Natsu can vouch for both of us if I vouch for you."

The Iron Dragon considered it. "They'll still come here for Jose, then. And if you and me don't fight, Phantom'll probably lose, if Jose doesn't kill us both first." He shook his head. "We'd have nowhere to go, even if we made it out okay."

Here it was. The turning point. "No, not necessarily. We could go to Fairy Tail."

Gajeel was dumbstruck. "You want _me_…to be a fucking fairy?"

Naruto grabbed his friend's shoulder. "Look, what else are we gonna do? You know they're strong, so it's not like we're downgrading or anything. Besides, it's…different there. You know how it is here. People are scared of us. They ignore us, so we ignore them. At Fairy Tail…people are…they're _happy_. They smile, they laugh. No one cares if you're as much dragon as you are human."

The response was quiet. "I've got no need for that stuff, prissy."

Naruto howled in frustration and forced Gajeel to look him in the eyes with a wrenching pull to the shoulder. "Cut the crap! We've had nothing since Vitrax and Metalicana bolted on us!"

That did it. Naruto had broken one of Gajeel's rules. Mushy shit was on list one, meaning it got you on list two, which meant you got hurt. The blonde flew into wall, clutching a bleeding nose. Gajeel stood straight, his fist extended.

"We ain't talking about this anymore." His voice carried promises of pain if Naruto argued the point.

Naruto stood and wiped his nose, a vicious glare aimed at his rival. Going all out with the scrap heap now wouldn't be worth anything, he decided. He stepped to the door and grasped the handle. "Whatever, rust bucket. Be alone for the rest of your goddamned life if you want. I know I'm done with Jose Porla and his bullshit, and I'm probably done with Phantom Lord. There's nothing for us here."

He walked out, leaving Gajeel to brood.

He found Tori at the table he'd left her at. She swallowed the bite of fish she'd been eating.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

"Not too good," he answered. "Let's go home, 'kay? I gotta think, and I might need your help later."

Tori hesitated, but nodded and hopped down to walk next to him, and the two began walking to the door. A group of mages in front of them started joking about "tearing off fairy wings" on their way back from the mission they were leaving for. Naruto had had enough of this. He walked faster, so he could shut them up. Then, all hell decided to break loose.

Now, it ought to be noted that Fairy Tail's members tend to have two things very much in common. The first is that the guild practically raised them, especially this generation of mages, many of which had been in Fairy Fail since they were children. The second thing is that many Fairy Tail members have some sort of troubled past. Fairy Tail was a home, and people went there when they needed one. This adds up to the guild being extremely close-knit, with its members being very protective of each other.

Three guild members had been found that morning. They'd been beaten and shackled to a tree. Given the guild mark crudely drawn on the blue-haired girl's belly, as well as the rods protruding from the guild hall, it was obvious who was responsible. Fairy Tail had its target, and so they came. They came for revenge. Makarov and his guild had come to make Phantom scream as he knew his children had screamed.

And despite Gajeel's estimate, they would take a lot less than a day to reach Oaktown.

So, when Naruto called out to the jackass talking about attacking fairies, and the guy turned around, it was thoroughly surprising to have the door explode inwards, hurling the group of mages back into the hall.

Tori squeaked in surprise, and Naruto's heart stopped. _Shit…_

Natsu Dragneel had grown up, it seemed. He'd grown taller, and a little more muscular. The really worrying part, however, was the fact that the Salamander had clearly just destroyed Phantom's door, and behind him was a very large amount of mages. Their eyes all carried a silent promise: pain. Then came a defiant shout, as the broken door landed.

"WE ARE FAIRY TAIL!"

**A couple things. Yes, obviously the war starts now. Gajeel's piercings being part of his magic is NOT my idea, but is being respectfully borrowed from another author. **

**The whole emotional thing might be getting old at this point, but it was important to get this introduced. You can't miss what you never had, and so Naruto and Gajeel have always been completely fine with Phantom Lord. Naruto knows what he's missed, and he feels unfulfilled, while Gajeel feels left out. It's dramatic and corny, yeah, but I think it's necessary.**


	6. Choose a side

**Yo, cheezits. This is the longest chapter I've ever written! You bloodthirsty bastards have been baying at the moon for some action, and so here you go! I hope you enjoy!**

Fairy Tail was one of the most laid-back and lenient guilds in Fiore. However, Jose Porla's crucial mistake had been acknowledging their laziness and ignoring two other key factors: Fairy Tail's impressive combat strength, and their refusal to forgive anyone who harmed their members. Now, every Fairy Tail mage who'd heard of the attack on their guild was hurtling into Phantom Lord's guild hall, screaming like the possessed.

Phantom's mages were anything but intimidated; they were _infuriated_. How dare these fucking fairies step on their turf?

Naruto Uzumaki stood between the two charging factions, caught between the hammer and the anvil. He wouldn't fight against Fairy Tail if he had the choice, but it looked like he was running out of options. It was far too late to convince Phantom's mages that their guild master had manipulated this whole conflict. There would be a fight. Even so, he wasn't going to just accept that lying down.

He turned to his partner. She couldn't make out any sound, as the battle-cries drowned out any other noise, but she could read his lips.

_Tori, fly. _

She needed no further encouragement. Her magic activated, her wings unfurled, and the cat took the air. She looked down to see her partner spread his arms wide. Then, in a completely uncharacteristic show of desperation, Naruto screamed his throat raw.

"STOP IT, I BEG YOU!"

The Crystal Dragon Slayer's voice carried like Vitrax's own roar, but it wasn't enough. The groups closed, Naruto still standing at their center.

A Phantom mage shoved him hard in the back. "C'mon, Uzumaki, give us a hand here!"

Naruto didn't want to fight. He just cursed and tried to dodge the fists that came his way. Bolts of magic flew in every direction. He looked up, trying to find Tori, but then a gauntleted fist smashed into his cheek, and the pommel of a sword struck him in the chest. He hit the floor and gasped for breath.

Above him stood the Fairy Queen, Titania Erza, in full armor. Her red hair draped her face in crimson, her eyes shadowed in rage. A magic longsword with a full crossguard was gripped tightly in her right hand.

"Naruto Uzumaki, I presume?" she asked, voice tight.

He spat a globule of blood and saliva.

"Yeah. It's good to meet you, too, Titania." He gave her a hard look, then got to his feet and continued. "This situation is _way _more complicated than you guys think. I don't want to fight, and neither does "Black Steel," the man you guys think is responsible. It's best for all of us if you leave now. I'll meet you later, or hell, even leave with you, but you need to hear what I've got to say." He'd kept his voice low.

"There is nothing to discuss," she said simply. "You're going to pay for what you did to Levy, Jet, and Droy." Her armor glowed, before being replaced by another colored orange, black, and red in patterns reminiscent of flames. Her boots and gauntlets were clawed, and in her hand was a crimson longsword. Her hair had even been altered: now it was done up in pigtails.

_Fuck this_, Naruto thought. He didn't want to fight, but he was not going to sit still and get his ass kicked. Erza's eyes narrowed as Naruto's eyes glowed purple, and the air thickened. The few mages watching them began cheering.

"Kick that guy's ass, Erza!" a Fairy Tail mage urged.

"Shit, Titania got Uzumaki mad. She's straight-up fucked now." A Phantom mage delivered this line with certainty and a bit of sympathy.

Erza feinted left, then spun and brought her sword down on the right. Fire arced through the air, following the blade. Her eyes widened in surprise when the red blade was caught in a hand that seemed gloved by purple diamonds. Claws protruded from the fingertips. Naruto gave the blade a rough jerk, yanking Erza down, and then he kicked her in the stomach—hard. The roundhouse sent Erza reeling, and she looked at the blonde in shock, which grew to disbelief when he snapped her sword in two over his knee. Had she looked at her chestplaste, she'd have seen that the claws on Naruto's toes had gouged deep scratches in the enchanted metal.

"Look, burnout, you're swinging your sword at the wrong guy!"

Erza Scarlet was not easily intimidated. In fact, she usually intimidated others without even trying. However, this was the first time since Mirajane that a mage had bested her in a physical contest, and the first time ever that one had dared try to break her weapon, let alone succeed.

_He's strong_, she realized, _just like the rumors say. Quick, too._

"_Requip: Soaring Armor_!" she cried, before charging again in a burst of light. The broken sword in Naruto's hands disappeared as well. He barely avoided a sword thrust to the face, as well as the calculated leg sweep that came a second later. He guessed that Erza was moving at triple the speed she had been before; following her movements was becoming increasingly difficult.

_Shit, she _is _good._

Naruto briefly kept pace, but soon enough, a blade got past his guard and slashed his chest. It wasn't deep enough to damage the organs, but it hurt like a bitch and bled a _lot_. The pommel of the second sword broke his nose. He hit the floor, blood streaming down his torso and face.

He felt a steel point touch his adam's apple.

"Surrender." The voice made it clear that any answer other than "yes" would be a bad idea.

Tori screamed from overhead. "Naruto!"

His hackles rose. A dark chuckle emanated from his throat. Okay, so Gajeel was more dangerous than he was a moment's notice. However, hurting Naruto Uzumaki and giving him a chance to recover was a very bad idea. The reasons? He had inhuman stamina, so incapacitating him was almost unheard of. The second reason? Making him mad was hazardous to your health. Naruto had a legendary temper, which he usually contained. Let loose, however, he became a living maelstrom.

"Fuck you, bitch."

There were shocked gasps, and he could swear he _felt _Erza's glare turn glacial.

"You've lost. Do you want me to cut your throat?" she growled.

Naruto grinned. Blood bubbled on his lips as he spoke. "Please, go ahead and _fucking try_."

Erza had no desire to actually kill the blonde, so she whipped one of her swords up and brought the flat down towards his head, intending to knock him unconscious. Instead, he moved to the side with inhuman speed, then rolled back onto his hands. Before he lost momentum, he sprang up, crashing his foot into his opponent's chin. Erza was thrown back into the other battling mages, jaw bruised and chin bleeding. Naruto got to his feet, coughing, and set his nose back into place with a strong grip and a tug. He wiped the blood away, smirking painfully.

Erza reappeared from among the crowd, dressed in yet another armor. This one had metal plates everywhere except her upper chest and stomach. Her legs were covered by a long white skirt. Two swords with wing-like crossguards were in her hands. "_Heaven's Wheel Armor_," she announced.

Naruto spat blood again. This was over. He'd had it. If this girl couldn't listen to words, she'd have to have a conversation with his magic. "You want me, Titania, you got me!" he cried.

Then, he charged. When he got too close, she swung both swords at his waist, parallel to the ground. He dropped into a crouch, letting them pass over him, then flung himself onto his palms and spun like a top. One shin crashed into the fairy queen's gut, lifting her into the air. The second leg followed the first, hurling her away with a bleeding and aching ribcage.

Naruto didn't let up; he followed her, claws raised above his head. Then he leapt like a pouncing tiger; and he roared like one, as well. His claws came down in an X, magic power following his arms. "_Crystal Dragon's Cross Fang!_" he yelled.

As his arms crossed, an X-shaped burst of red energy exploded from his claws. It surged the air, screaming with energy. Erza held up her swords in front of her face. The arc of power struck the twin swords and held momentarily, until Erza clenched her teeth and muscles and pushed it upwards.

Then, she waved her swords through the air, and a cascade of identical blades appeared and shot towards the Dragon Slayer. He dodged most, but two managed to chase him. He swung his crystallized hands and batted them away, then watched as they disappeared, supposedly returning to Erza's Requip pocket dimension.

"_Crystal Dragon's…_"

Naruto's chest swelled to capacity as he inhaled, making blood spurt from his wound. The energy worked its way to his mouth, his cheeks swelling, before he whipped his head forward.

"_ROAR_!"

The magic seal that had formed in front of his face shattered as it was pierced by a thrashing twister of energy. It seemed entirely made up of crystal blades. Before, they had been Naruto's default color: violet. Now his anger had turned his magic a wrathful crimson. It radiated from his bloodied body in waves.

The twister crashed into Erza and hurled mages of both guilds from around her away. She emerged from the resulting dust cloud moments later, unscathed, having donned a set of armor covered with spikes, and sporting a chain mail tabard along with plate leggings. The pauldrons and waist were spiked. Overall, the armor looked scary; demonic, even. However, she held no weapon.

"The Herculean Armor is the ultimate defense," she panted. "You won't touch me with that amount of power."

As mages around them continued fighting, Naruto and Erza stared each other down. It seemed that they were about equal in strength. Erza's eyes were foggy, losing focus, and Naruto had lost a lot of blood.

Before they could kill each other, however, a lone mage landed between them. Fire flickered, and Naruto recognized the one whom he both wanted to see and dreaded talking to. Natsu Dragneel stood in front of him, eyes hard.

He swallowed. "Natsu, look—"

The pinkette cut him off. "Look, I don't care that you were fighting Erza. I do it all the time." He stepped close. "Did you hurt them?"

Who "they" were was pretty clear. "No. Only one I know that you can blame is Jose himself."

Natsu stared at him. What was he looking at? A mage from a rival guild, who was like an older brother? Or was he staring at an enemy who was blood-spattered and vulnerable?

It was the former. "I believe you."

Naruto nodded in gratitude. The fight was thinning out, it seemed. Mages on both sides were backing off like animals at bay. They were sick of fighting.

Naruto tried to say something, but just as his mouth opened, two mages landed on either side of Natsu. One was a tall, white-haired man with a heavily muscled physique; the other a black-haired mage of average height. The big guy's right arm was reptilian in appearance, with hook-like fingers and scales of mottled green and brown. The shorter one had mist surrounding his palms.

The black hair snarled. "You gonna take him down, Natsu, or should we?"

The big guy's mouth was drawn into a tight frown. "Men shouldn't be standing around talking during a battle, Natsu," he added.

Natsu held out his hands, urging them to leave it be.

"Elfman, Gray, he's alright. He didn't have anything to do with it. This is Naruto, the "Diamond Dragon Sword.""

"I don't think—" Another crash. Gajeel Redfox, the "Steel Dragon Sword," stood next to Naruto.

Naruto chuckled, but had to spit out the blood that seeped between his lips.

"Good of you to show, scrap heap."

Gajeel grunted. "I may be an asshole, but I'm no coward. I don't want you taking the heat for me." He turned to the Three Fairy Tail mages.

"_I_ attacked your guildmates and trashed your guild. You wanna fight someone, you fight me. Anyone so much as _touches_ him again," he jerked a thumb at his fellow Dragon Slayer to emphasize, " and you can tell the devil Redfox sent ya."

Naruto was shocked at this degree of…care that Gajeel was showing for him. Though, it was true that no one could call Gajeel a coward. At least, not if they wanted to ever be able to speak again. Still, he had to step in again, as Erza was approaching.

As the Fairy Tail members dropped into stances, Naruto put a hand on Gajeel's shoulder, halting him from attacking out of reflex.

"There's more to it than that." He waited until Erza got behind her guildmates.

"Gajeel was under orders from Jose. He didn't have a choice."

Titania pushed her guildmates aside and walked up to Gajeel. The Iron Dragon Slayer's hands twitched, sporadically morphing into clubs, and then turning back. "You _always _have a choice."

Gajeel met her gaze, unafraid. "The choices were do it or die. Besides, you've been roughed up too much to take me on, and you know it."

Erza gritted her teeth. She processed the information for a second, but eventually gave in. "I won't fight you, not now."

Then conversation was cut off, as an object landed between them. It had fallen from the upper floors. They looked down to see Makarov Dreyar; twitching, and green in the face.

There were gasps.

"Shit, old man, are you alright?"

"Master, say something!"

"Men should not be green!"

"Shut the hell up, Elfman!"

Naruto looked up while the fairies fussed over their Master, looking for where the old man had come from. There was a hole in the ceiling. He knew he was losing consciousness and clarity, but he could make out Aria's giant form looming from above.

He coughed, then grabbed Erza's forearm. She looked at him with confusion and anger.

"Aria did that," he said, nodding his head down to indicate Makarov. "He can use Airspace magic to suck away people's magic power. Makarov needs treatment, and you'll lose this without him. You need to get your people out of here."

The response was curt. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because," Naruto retorted in frsutration, "if I wanted war, I wouldn't have been bum-rushed by both guilds trying to _stop _it."

Erza's eyes narrowed, but she acquiesced, nodding.

"Fine." She stood up and swung her hand through the air.

"Retreat! All Fairy Tail mages get out of here!"

As Fairy Tail started racing towards the door, Naruto collapsed, fatigued by blood loss.

Natsu rushed to Naruto's side and hoisted him onto his shoulder. Erza turned to her comrades and the Dragon Slayers.

There was an outcry. "Hey, that's Makarov! Get him while he's down!"

"Elfman, protect the Master," Erza ordered. The white-haired man grabbed Makarov under one arm and ran for the exit.

Gajeel bit off a curse and turned to the oncoming Phantom mages. "Go. Take Naruto with you."

"What about you?" Natsu asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" he barked. "I'm covering you! NOW GO!"

As the remainder of Fairy Tail rushed for the exit, Gajeel turned both arms into sharp spears.

"Sorry, punks," he muttered. "_Iron Dragon's Spear: Demon Logs_!"

Green lances of energy blasted forth, crashing into the oncoming horde like a missile volley. Phantom members were hurled back; bloodied and demoralized, but not dead.

The way was clear, so Gajeel made his own escape. He bolted for the exit. He almost made it out unhindered, but a crowd of Phantom mages blocked his path, screaming "Traitor!" He cursed and formed his hand into a sword, ready to cut them away if need be, but he was lifted into the air before he reached them. He looked above him to see Tori, Naruto's cat, with his shirt in her paws. She was flying him out.

"Thanks, cat," he said.

She nodded. "We need to find the others. I heard Aria talking about something with Jose. It sounded important."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Well," she said, "it seems like Jose's got a Fairy Tail mage hostage."

Gajeel let out yet another curse. _Not good_, he thought.

They caught up with the Fairy Tail members on the way down the hill that led to Phantom's building. It seemed that Happy had joined the group as well.

When Tori dropped Gajeel next to them, the group didn't acknowledge that he was there with anything more than a couple nods. Happy noticed Tori, however, and enthusiastically greeted his fellow feline. She returned his greetings, but then immediately addressed the blue cat's partner. "Natsu, do you know anyone named Lucy?"

He nodded, eyes questioning. "Yeah, she's my friend. Why?"

Tori grabbed his vest and pulled hard. "Because I heard Aria and Jose Talking, and they're holding someone named Lucy hostage at Phantom's headquarters!"

It looked like someone had just lit a fire inside the Dragon Slayer…or more realistically, expanded the fire that was already there. He tossed Naruto's limp form to Gray, who caught the blonde with a yelp of surprise, before giving Natsu a dirty look.

"Just take him," Natsu ordered.

Gray sneered, though he didn't drop his cargo. "Why can't you?"

"Busy," was the curt response. Then, he turned away before Gray could protest further.

He growled, then grabbed Tori by the paws and shook her urgently.

"Where?" he asked, face shadowed. It was obvious that that one particular bit of information had made him _extremely _angry.

Tori gulped. "It's not far from here." She turned to Gajeel. "Hey, Gajeel, you show him!"

The shaggy-haired man's eyes widened in disbelief. "Why can't you do it?" he asked, incredulous.

"Because I can't fight, and I need to stay with Naruto!" she retorted.

The Iron Dragon snarled in frustration, but nodded. "Fine. Flamebrain, follow me!"

He turned off the road and ran off to one side, using a Dragon Cub as a vaulting pole. Natsu followed, fire jetting from his feet for added propulsion.

As they made a beeline for Phantom's hideout and Lucy, the others reached The Oaktown train station, and made for Magnolia.

***dattebayo***

As Natsu and Gajeel made their way towards Phantom's main building, they found themselves tiring of the awkward silence.

"So," Gajeel asked, "this Lucy chick your girlfriend or something?"

"…No."

"What's with the pause?"

"…Shut up."

Gajeel gave the pinkette a quizzical look. "Don't forget, pal, I'm your only way of finding her."

Natsu responded with a glare. "Even if Naruto-nii says you're not my enemy, you still attacked Fairy Tail."

Gajeel sighed. "Had no choice, Salamander. Get over it."

Natsu spat while he ran. "Screw that. You still did it."

"Don't be a prissy princess. You sound like Naruto."

Gajeel noticed a gigantic building looming in the distance, and his dragon hearing picked up a startled shriek. He pumped his legs harder, increasing his pace. Natsu did the same, almost completely outstripping the Phantom mage.

"Hold on, Lucy!" he shouted, almost frantic. "I'm coming!"

_This kid's got it bad_, Gajeel thought with a snort, falling in behind the younger man.

***dattebayo***

They arrived at Fairy Tail not too much later. Natsu had caught Lucy as she fell…or more like _jumped_ from Phantom's headquarters.

Gajeel saw that the blonde girl had some spunk about her that belied a preppy and feminine appearance. Seriously; the chick had assets like a supermodel, but had (according to her) kicked Jose dead in the nuts. That earned her some respect in Gajeel's book. Granted, she'd been afraid of him at first, (he _was _scary, and he'd be the first to say it) but Natsu had said he was alright, for a scrap heap, (mental note, punch pinky in the face later) they'd got on okay.

Now he was sitting across the room from Naruto who was asleep in a cot in Fairy Tail's infirmary, Tori asleep on his pillow beside his head, next to three others. …_My victims_, he thought.

The thought of hurting others didn't bother him; he hurt people all the time. That's what fighting was, after all. However, the fact that he'd ambushed them in a cowardly fashion for a cowardly man almost made him physically sick. He was disgusted with himself. He looked the blue-haired girl's attractive, serene face, and couldn't help a growl from escaping his throat. His fists clenched in anger. He was seeing red. _Used…I was fucking _used_! Jose, I swear on all nine hells that you're going to pay in blood for this! Make me scream for death, huh? I'll make you whimper like the bitch you are, you gutless prick!_

His expression must have been fit to kill children and smile about it, he realized, when the Fairy Tail mage addressing him sounded ready to fight, and a little scared.

"Um, Gajeel, right?"

He looked up to see the black-haired teen from back at Phantom. "Yeah. Who are you and what do you want?"

"Gray," he said. "And watch your damn attitude. This is _our _building, which, by the way, _you _trashed."

Gajeel stood up. He'd had it with that bit of information. When would they get that it wasn't his fault?

"Want some? If not, shut it," he snarled.

The one called Gray slammed a fist into his palm. "I'll freeze you to the bone, you—"

"That's enough!" declared a deep, feminine voice.

Titania Erza entered the infirmary, clutching her bandaged stomach with one hand, a large Band-Aid resting on the tip of her chin in an almost comical fashion. "No more fighting, especially not in here." She glared at Gajeel.

"Got that?" she asked, almost daring him to challenge her.

"Fine," he scoffed.

"Look," Erza sighed, her voice softer, "we just want to know the full story. I'm no expert with people, but you don't seem like the kind of person who would do this." She gestured to the sleeping forms of Team Shadow Gear.

Gajeel sighed in frustration, but he acquiesced, and told the two Fairy Tail mages the full story. At the end of it, they were perturbed, and a little confused.

"So, besides us, only you, Naruto, and his cat know this?"

He nodded. "That's right."

Erza looked at Naruto with some puzzlement. "If he was trying to stop a conflict, then why'd he fight me like he did?"

Gajeel snorted. "I saw most of that, actually. Shoulda stepped in sooner." He raked his fingers through his hair. "Did he try to tell you there was more to it?"

Erza nodded.

Gajeel continued. "You attacked him anyway 'cuz you figured it was bullshit?"

Another nod.

"There ya go. That guy…we fight _all _the time, but I know him pretty well. He hates gettin' stepped on. You probably just pushed him to the boiling point. Honestly, the only reason you ain't as bad off as he is, is because he wasn't serious 'till you pushed him."

Gray scoffed at that. The idea that this guy, who looked about his age, was as strong as Erza was a bit ridiculous.

Erza, on the other hand, considered it a possibility. The blonde had great physical strength and speed, overwhelming magic power, and brutally efficient technique. Hand-to-hand, she'd been at a disadvantage without her weapons and armor. Purely physically, Naruto had been the clear superior. Whether he could match her in an all-out confrontation was yet to be seen, but Erza had never made a habit of underestimating others, so she didn't write it off as an impossibility.

Gray looked to his friend oddly. "Erza?" he asked, wondering why she seemed lost in space.

She shook her head. "It's nothing; I'm merely thinking. I'll have to apologize when he wakes up for attacking him as I did. It was unsportsmanlike."

Gajeel shrugged. "That's your business."

He gestured at the invalids. "They gonna be okay?" he asked.

It was Gray who answered this time. "Yeah. Mira-chan's been in and out, and they've gotten decent care. Shadow Gear should heal up fine. I'm not sure about your friend, though, haven't heard anything yet."

"I'll be fine," Naruto said, thoroughly surprising everyone. He was sitting up in his infirmary bed, fingering the bandage around his chest as if it itched (which it _did_). Tori was awake, and sitting next to him.

Erza raised an eyebrow. "Naruto-san, how long have you been awake?"

He shrugged. "Just a few minutes." He grinned. "Nice to meet you again, Gray, Titania. No apology necessary. Just drop the –_san_, if ya could, I don't like formalities. Just Naruto's fine."

Erza smiled. "As you wish. Then, call me Erza."

"Deal." His grin expanded, though it momentarily became a wince as he shifted and hopped out of bed. He waved off the incredulous looks he got from everyone except Gajeel. "Dragon Slayer's heal quick, and I've had worse."

His stomach suddenly growled. "Sorry, but do you guys have any food?"

Erza nodded and got up, and so did Gray. "I'll get Mira to make you something," he said. As he approached the door, he called back. "I'll also tell Natsu you're up." They both left.

Not a minute later, Natsu came in, dragging a protesting Lucy by the hand. He stopped in front of Naruto, smiling.

"Luce, this is Naruto-nii," he said, by way of an introduction. "He's a good guy. Really strong, too."

Naruto couldn't help a slight blush at being referred to as Natsu's big brother. He settled himself, though, and held out a hand to Lucy. "Naruto Uzumaki."

She took it with some hesitation, but smiled. Naruto smiled in approval. The girl was not only very pretty but also nice, if a bit shy.

"Lucy…um, Heartfilia," she responded.

He nodded. "Yo, metalhead, Tori, have—"

"We've met," Gajeel interrupted. "Hey, blondie number 2," he grunted.

Tori nodded her agreement. "I've met her," she said.

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, Gajeel helped Natsu save me yesterday."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Save you?"

She nodded again. "Mmhmm. My last name?"

Then it hit him. The Heartfilia concern was one of the richest estates in Fiore. This girl was the heir? "Wow…"

Her eyes went to the floor. "I ran away from home and came here. It hasn't been that long, just a couple of months. Yesterday, the Element Four kidnapped me. It was…Juvia and Sol, I think. Jose said he wanted to use me to extort all of my father's money."

"That's just wrong," Naruto said.

Gajeel even agreed, it seemed. "Damn coward. Another reason to beat the shit outta him."

"Yeah." Naruto turned to Natsu.

"Look, I'm not a Fairy Tail member, but I'm on your side in this, and so is the scrap heap."

"Wha…speak for yourself, prissy!" the Iron Dragon spluttered.

"Hey, wanting Jose down and out is good enough!" Naruto retorted.

Natsu laughed at their banter, before escorting Lucy back to the main area. "Later, Gajeel. Later, Naruto-nii."

"They're insane," Gajeel said indelicately.

Naruto's grin remained. "So are we," he said. "Besides, they _are_ being really nice, considering the whole fighting each other thing."

"Nevermind the niceness, jewels. You know where I stand. Jose goes down, but I am _not_ a Fairy."

"Neither am I. Just be open to the possibilities is all."

"Whatever. In any case," he said, rising and heading for the door, "Makarov's out of it. Aria got him _good_, man, and I'm not sure how to fix the old fart or even how the big guy did it. His magic's almost nonexistent, now. These guys'll lose without some help, and that means I'd lose my shot at Jose. I'm gonna go talk strategy with that redhead, see if they even have a fighting chance."

Gajeel left, and Tori followed him, much to the Iron Dragon Slayer's protest.

Naruto, left alone in the infirmary and deprived of something to do or someone to talk to, went back to his bed and sat. He did remember asking for some food…

Almost on cue, the door opened again to reveal a white-haired woman in a long, maroon dress. She was carrying a bowl of…of…dear god she was bringing him _ramen_! His nose inhaled the familiar scent. He marveled at his good fortune.

"Naruto?" came a soft voice.

He opened his eyes, which had closed in utter bliss, and got his first really good look at the woman. Instantly he recognized _Weekly Sorcerer _glamor model, Mirajane Strauss, and he was floored. He'd seen the swimsuit issue almost every month, of course, but it was so _different_ to see her in person. Her hair shined, as if illuminated by moonlight. There was an angelic smile on her heart-shaped face. Naruto, as aware and appreciative of the female form as any hot-blooded male, noticed that the top of her rather…sizeable breasts and some cleavage was exposed. His eyes followed her body down, and he could tell that the dress concealed near-perfect curves. His only thought was an approving _goddamn _that bounced around his skull like it was an echo chamber. This was possibly the most _beautiful_ thing he had ever seen…

His eyes finally met hers, and he almost lost himself inside them. (Now, it should be noted that Naruto was a very good judge of character) While Lucy's eyes had been welcoming but apprehensive, and Erza's had been stern, these pools of blue, almost as blue as his own, gazed back with warmth and comfort, but contained a hidden sadness. There was a depth to those eyes that he instantly knew he couldn't understand then, but at the same time wanted to.

It took a bit for him to realize he was staring at her, and that she was looking at him in both embarrassment and confusion.

"Um, e-excuse me?" she asked tentatively.

Naruto tried to clear his thoughts. "Uh, sorry!" he said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "You're just really pretty!"

Mirajane blushed in the most adorable manner possible, and Naruto clamped a hand over his mouth. _Fuck, fuckity, fuck, fuck, fuck, I didn't mean to say that!_

He blundered with his words, trying to catch himself and salvage the situation. "Oh, crap, I'm sorry, Mirajane-san, I didn't mean to say that, it just kinda slipped out!"

She giggled in embarrassment and shook her head. "No, I'm sorry, you just surprised me is all. Really, it's no big deal." She shrugged, still smiling. "Truthfully, I get that a lot, just not in _that _particular fashion."

Naruto kept rubbing the back of his head, beet red. He was embarrassed of being so damn embarrassed!

"Here," Mirajane said, setting the ramen down on the nightstand with a pair of chopsticks. "Tori said it was your favorite."

Naruto just nodded and tore into the ramen with reckless abandon. It was delicious; way better than cup ramen. Before he knew it, he was finished and set the bowl and chopsticks down. "Thanks, Mirajane-san."

She gave him a soft smile. "Please, just call me Mira. Everyone does."

Naruto nodded. "Thanks for looking after me, even if it was Erza who cut me up in the first place. Really, though, why are you being so hospitable to us?" he asked, referring to himself, his "sister," and Gajeel. "We aren't Fairy Tail members."

Mirajane frowned. "No, you're not. But Fairy Tail doesn't turn away people who need help, especially friends. You're Natsu's friend, so that makes you, Gajeel, and Tori friends of Fairy Tail."

Naruto stood up then, and gave his hostess a bow from the waist. He hated humbling himself, but he gave credit where it was due. "I..thanks for your help."

"It's nothing, Naruto," she said with a laugh, taking the empty bowl and used chopsticks and walking out.

Gajeel entered just as the white blond exited. He grinned evilly. "So, you and the cover girl hit it off, huh?"

Naruto grabbed a random piece of paper from his nightstand, rolled it up, and promptly chucked it at his rival. Gajeel flicked it away, laughing in that weird manner that only he did.

Naruto hissed. "So, how'd strategy talking go?"

Gajeel shrugged. "Troublesome. And we ain't done yet, either. The reason I'm in _here_ is 'cuz Gex is at the doors. He wants to see us both."

**Da-da-da-dum! Does that count as a cliffhanger? I dunno.**

**Just a couple things:**

**One: I'm going with Erza's Herculean armor and its original design from the manga instead of the anime's Adamantine Armor, if you didn't notice.**

**Second: Naruto's fighting style. Crystal Dragon attacks are mostly in the form of weapons and physical enhancements, like Iron Dragon attacks. However, while Gajeel's gravitate to being medieval weapons, Naruto's tend to be more like natural weapons (i.e. fangs, claws, etc). Naruto's style is a a bit of a mix between brawling and Dragon Slayer attacks.**

**Character Strength: **

**Gajeel and Naruto are close in power, but Naruto would be stronger if you really backed him into a corner.**

**Erza, Naruto, and Gajeel are all in the same ballpark. That's all I'll say.**

**The rest of the Element four are a bit below the three above, with the exception of Aria, who's about their level.**

**Natsu, Elfman (after his _event_, you know what I'm talking about) and Gray are about the same as the Element Four, again with the exception of Aria.**

**One final thing: the Naruto/Mira moment at the end of this chapter is NOT love at first sight, for anyone that may be confused!**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	7. A man named Gex

**Okay, just for the record: I know that in canon, Fairy Tail only builds an infirmary after the redo the building. However, I wanted an infirmary. And what author wants, author gets.**

**It also occurs to me that I haven't done a disclaimer in a while. If you believe that I own or think that I own Fairy Tail or Naruto, you're a fucking idiot. I own Gex (my OC) and nothing else.**

Naruto moved to follow Gajeel, but halted when he saw himself wearing nothing but a long, grey pair of shorts that were definitely not his. He felt around his—now unbound—hair, and was relieved to find that he still had his earrings. Taking a peek around, he wondered where his clothes were, and was mildly surprised to find them neatly folded at the foot of his bed, with the exception of his shirt, which had been damaged beyond repair by Erza. Unsure of what do with the shorts that weren't his, he simply folded them and placed them where his clothes had been. His trench coat had a couple spots of blood, but aside from that his clothes were fine. He scratched at the bandage on the bridge of his nose and winced when it throbbed.

Gajeel popped his head back in as the blonde slung his trench coat over his shoulders. With a perturbed sneer, he said "You gonna keep me waiting forever? C'mon!"

Naruto nodded and followed Gajeel out of the infirmary. He found himself in Fairy Tail's guild hall, on first floor. He let out an awed whistle at the hastily patched holes all over the walls. "You really busted this place up, huh?"

Gajeel grunted, leading Naruto toward the stairs. "I know," he said. "I don't need you reminding me."

Realizing that the subject was still touchy, Naruto wisely dropped it. "Where's Gex?" he asked, brushing his bangs out of his eyes.

"Downstairs with the fairies," Gajeel answered.

They walked down the flight in silence, all the while listening to the noise from the basement grow progressively louder.

The pair reached the bottom to see men and women doing one of two things: sitting around in abject boredom, or shuffling frantically to accomplish various tasks. There were some carrying lacrima and spellbooks back and forth, and some talking animatedly about what could be done about the situation.

In the middle of the room sat Gex, circled by both sitting and standing Fairy Tail mages, among them Erza and Gray. For his part, Gex seemed unaffected by the glares that pressed on him from all sides.

Naruto and Gajeel approached, then grabbed a pair of stools and sat across from the God Leg user.

"Hey, old man," Naruto greeted. He was in a small bit of pain because of his chest, but he forced a smile.

"'Sup," Gajeel said.

The barman rolled his neck around with a groan, then squinted one eye open to look at the two younger Phantom mages.

"You punks're more trouble than you're worth," he slurred. "I go off for just a couple days, an' I come home to _this_." He leaned forward and gave them a tired look, scratching his stubble, which was a habit of his. "A guild war's underway, an' two of Phantom's best fighters leave with the _enemy_, an' they weren't taken prisoner. I came to find out why." His eyes narrowed. "Talk."

They hesitated. "Jose send you?" Naruto asked.

"No," Gex responded. "I came after hearing the others bitch about it."

Gajeel began telling the story, explaining how Jose had ordered him to incite a war. Naruto then related what had happened at the battle in the guild hall, and he'd finally explained how they had ended up at Fairy Tail. Throughout the tale, Gex stayed silent, paying rapt attention.

When Naruto finished, Gajeel concluded by telling about how he and Natsu had rescued Lucy from Phantom headquarters. There was silence as Gex processed the story. After about a minute, he let out a sigh and scratched his chin. "Ya swear on your lives this is the truth?"

The question surprised Naruto a Gajeel a bit, but they both nodded. "Far as I know it," Gajeel said, shrugging.

Gex turned to Erza. "Those kids that got attacked...can I see 'em?" The man sounded resolute but undecided, as if he was trying to get some hard verification on the story he'd heard.

Erza stayed silent for a moment, before giving a very slow nod. "Sure."

Naruto stood up. "I'll take you. Give us ghosts a chance to talk alone, eh?" Gex followed Naruto back up the stairs. After a moment, Gajeel rose as well.

As they passed through the pub again, Gex said "Ya know…ya _really_ trashed this place, Gajeel."

The Iron Dragon facepalmed. "I. Fucking. Know. Please, old man, just shut up."

Gex gave him a quizzical look, but obliged and didn't press the matter. A moment later, Naruto pointed out the infirmary.

***dattebayo***

The life of Gex Quetzacos is…an odd story.

He was born to an average family. Parents who were married and somewhat happy, and two boys that derived enormous pleasure from pranking everything in sight. Joaquin and Lola Quetzacos and their kids, Gex and Garret.

Actually, allow me to correct myself. The Queztzacos clan was not _completely _average. Joaquin came from a long line of mages, all specializing in the same field of the arcane. The Quetzacos line was made up of God Leg mages. It was a type of Magic that had never received much renown; all it did was make your legs stronger and your movements quicker, right? Ha, horseshit! Gex and his brother Garret had been taught _real_ God Leg, a potent mixture of magic and martial art that could destroy anything or anyone. Speed and force, he'd been taught. It was like a mantra. Speed and force.

He and his brother had joined a guild back in their youth: Crimson Harpy. The guild had been okay, he surmised, but it had gone out of business about two decades before the present day, so he hadn't been there for long. For the next ten years after that, he'd been an independent mage. He'd earned the "Rocket" nickname back in Crimson Harpy for his speed, and Garret had been "Bullet." On the road, though, working by himself, he didn't do that pansy-ass guild stuff. He changed for the first time. He decided that instead of fulfilling requests, he could fulfill bounties. Instead of breaking rent, he could break men. He became a mercenary, and stayed a mercenary for almost ten years. The rush had been…addicting. No ties, no worries; just his legs and the cash they won him. As with all things, though, this one came to an end.

He remembered the bandit leader on the road. He hadn't been contracted to capture him; his last target had just been dropped off at the nearby Rune Knights outpost. This guy had a bounty, though, and Gex knew it. He hadn't taken the bounty, though, so he wasn't legally allowed to pursue this guy. At that point, he was technically a civilian. No sweat, he figured. He'd beat the asshole up, stash him somewhere, take the bounty officially, and _then_ turn the prick in. The plan was perfect. He'd laughed as he propelled himself off the ground. He'd sported a shit-eating grin as he aimed his powerful leg at the man's face. His excitement fucked him—royally. Two things went wrong: first, the idiot turned around at Gex's laughing, spinning into the roundhouse speeding towards his face; second: Gex had pumped to much damned magic into the kick. Long story short, the bandit's neck broke. Snapped like a wet twig. Like a dog that had choked to death on a bone, Gex had bitten off more than he could chew and was paying for it. And man, did he pay for it. The only reason he didn't get life or execution was because the victim of the murder had been a criminal. Instead it was ten years of hard time.

Really, he had to thank his years in prison for one thing. He hadn't seen his family in years, and being stuck in the cooler allowed his brother to catch up to him. Allowed him to meet his brother's kid, a spunky brat named Sarusuke. Seeing them again had given him a joy different from fighting. He felt warm and…happy. For a second time, he changed.

After he'd done his time, he went to find his parents. He found them in the cemetery. Age had caught up with them. Then he went to find Garret and Sarusuke. It had been a while since their last visit to his oh-so-cozy little cell. He arrived at his brother's house to find it gone. Burnt to the fucking ground. A gang had firebombed the place. Far as anyone knew, both the father and son inside were dead. For the third time, Gex changed. He found the little shits responsible, and he killed them. It wasn't like that time with the bandit; he was deliberate and calculated. He sent them to hell screaming with broken spines, cracked ribs, depressed skulls, ruptured organs, torn muscles, and unrestrained bladders. The newspapers had had a field day.

After that, Gex changed a fourth time. First, he was a bright, talented child. Then, he was a hot-blooded mercenary. Then, he was a man wanting to reconnect. Then, he was a hell-bound demon seeking vigilante justice on those who had stolen the only thing he cared about. Now, there was nothing left for him. He just didn't give a shit. He joined Phantom because he couldn't think of anything better to do. He became the bartender because he'd always liked drinks and because it was easy work. Phantom mattered because it was where he got his paycheck, and his paycheck paid his rent and bought his booze and his food. He'd tried to become the Master when he'd found out that it involved almost no work and that the paycheck was bigger. Jose had screwed him on that one. Even after all these years, he could swear that the Ghost King had drugged the drink they'd shared before the fight. His magic power had dropped almost instantaneously during their match, but he hadn't been able to prove anything.

Naruto had changed Gex for the fifth time. The kid was arrogant, obnoxious, and annoying, but also funny, entertaining, and worth talking to. The blonde kid had turned Gajeel around, too. Gex had found a slight reason to care, then, even if it was just two brats.

***dattebayo***

Now, staring at the face of one of the aforementioned Dragon Slayer's victims, Gex started having a major relapse. Shock flooded his mind, memories flashed in front of his eyes. He felt…he didn't know what. He just couldn't believe his eyes.

He whipped around at the Twin Dragon Swords, eyes aflame. "Gemme a Fairy Tail mage, RIGHT NOW!"

Naruto and Gajeel were struck dumb for a second, stuttering, unable to process much of anything. Eventually Gajeel held up a hand tentatively. "Uh…"

"GO!"

"Yeah, I'm going!" he said quickly.

He went. Naruto backed up against the wall. "Uh, Gex…whaddya want one of them for?"

Gex jabbed a finger at the young man with the fang-like incisor and the light brown/orange hair. "That kid…," he said, voice shaking, "I want his name, and I wanna know what magic he uses!"

Naruto just nodded meakly. "Uh, yeah…sure. Don't hurt me!"

Gex growled in frustration. His normally immoral and apathetic mind was running on high overdrive. His emotions were thoroughly FUBAR. That fairy kid in the bed looked a hell of a lot like someone who was supposed to be _dead_.

He remained a tense mess as footsteps thundered up the stairs. He flinched in surprise as Gajeel and…many more than _one _Fairy Tail mage clogged the doorway. Gajeel struggled to unpin himself from between the one Gex recognized as Elfman and another large man, the latter sporting a hairband and tribal tattoos. Gajeel sweatdropped nervously. "They, uh…followed me."

Gex grunted. "Who is this?" he asked gruffly, again jabbing his finger at Jet.

There was some confusion. One mage, a girl with round glasses and purple hair, said "Um, that's Jet…"

"No!" Gex barked. "His real name!"

"Sarusuke," another mage answered.

Gex grit his teeth as sweat traced his brow. Now for the final piece. This would confirm it. "What magic does he use?"

"God Leg."

Gex's face went ashen. His hands went limp at his sides. His mouth hung open. Then he dropped to his knees.

The howl of grief, anger, and self-loathing shook the already rickety walls of Fairy Tail's guild hall.

***dattebayo***

Jose Porla could be called many things. Among those things are cheating, arrogant, deceitful, creepy, and slightly demonic. However, two things that Jose Porla could not righteously be called, and two things he would not suffer to seen as, were stupid and weak.

He had figured that Gajeel's lust for combat would make him an easy pawn, and that the Iron Dragon would fulfill his purpose and be happy about it, and then conveniently become the object of Makarov's scrutiny. He'd been wrong. It was obvious that Gajeel's manic attitude around him was an act, one the Wizard Saint was now kicking himself for failing to notice prior to the start of this war.

The second problem was Uzumaki. It was obvious that he'd wanted to lash out at the Wizard Saint when he learned of his best friend being sent to start a war. Oh yes, his _best friend_. The boy had befriended his fellow Dragon Slayer early on, and it seems that they had collaborated. When he'd seen Uzumaki kicking Titania into a wall the day before, Jose would admit to having been hopeful that Uzumaki would be on his side. Then Aria had incapacitated Makarov and Jose had been ready to boast of victory, only to see Gajeel turning on his fellow Phantom mages (with rather impressive gusto) and Naruto being carried out by Fairy Tail.

In one stroke, he'd lost two of his guild's best fighters, and a good deal of morale had gone with them. He'd taken Makarov down, but had lost a couple of S-class mages in the process, who were both now revealed to have overdeveloped senses of justice, it seemed.

Last, his capture of Lucy Heartphilia had been rendered null and void when Gajeel and Fairy Tail's Salamander had escaped with her.

In short, he'd taken Fairy Tail's Master out of the equation, but it was still anybody's war. Fairy Tail was more than likely to regroup, especially since Gex had gone to them and would more than likely take their side. If that happened, the comparison of strength would either be equal or not in Phantom's favor. Because Jose was not stupid or weak, he would not let happen. He was going to claim his prize. The little Heartphilia wouldn't escape him again. He was going to crush the fairies beneath his heel so they could never stand against Phantom again.

He had taken what battle-capable mages he still had in Oaktown, and prepared the Headquarters for battle. He then sent out a series of messages to Phantom's subdivisions in the neighboring towns, telling them to make for Magnolia.

_Time to hit them where it hurts…_

***dattebayo***

Naruto returned to Fairy Tail's basement confused, and a bit scared. Gex's past had always been a mystery, and so the man's complete breakdown at Jet's identity had been completely unexpected. Naruto guessed that the fairy was related to the old man somehow, but he didn't know for sure. He did know that the raw emotion in Gex's eyes had been unrivaled by anything he'd ever seen before. There was anger, grief, and an unbearable pain that made the blonde question his desire to know anything about Gex's past.

Gajeel walked beside him, both men contemplating in silence. They reached the basement a couple minutes after the other mages who had run up to the infirmary. As they entered, the room's occupants gave the two Dragon Slayers a collective questioning look. In tandem, they shrugged, indicating that they were drawing blanks as well.

Any further thought on the situation was delayed, however, as the man in question appeared on the steps, arms crossed, mouth drawn into a thin frown. The unbridled feeling was gone from his eyes, now replaced by a stoic determination.

The man had collapsed into a howling wreck not 15 minutes ago. Naruto decided then and there that Gex was the most unpredictable man he'd ever met. Few people are incalculable. Those that are can be very dangerous.

Gajeel spoke first. "Gex…"

"Sarusuke is my nephew. I thought he'd died 'bout ten years ago."

All who were listening were stunned into silence. They had guessed there was some history between the two God Leg mages, but _this _was a real shock. Naruto opened his mouth, but Gex held up a hand, silencing him.

"Jose'll be here with every mage he's got, soon. Ya got a day, at most." He stepped into the middle of the room, and pulled a table up. "Now, gather 'round. When the bastard gets here, we're gonna give him a _really _warm welcome, see?"

Mages approached, ready to talk strategy with the third Phantom mage to defect in a day.

**I know it's been almost two months, so sorry bout that. I know this chapter's short as shit, so sorry bout that too. I had to split it in half, and the second half (big-ass battle scene) is kicking my ass up and down the block. I am so sorry, but it ain't goin' up 'til my perfectionist ass is satisfied with it. **

**I think I responded to everyone who reviewed. If I didn't, rage at me. No, really.**

**PUH-LEAZE tell me what you thought of Gex's backstory! Literally, he was the idea that spawned this fic, so please tell me what you think of him. I love the guy to death, honestly.**

**Later, cheezits. **

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	8. So it begins

**Yo, cheezits. It's my birthday. I'm giving you guys a present: this update. That makes sense to me, somehow. However, your birthday present to me is this: you WILL leave me a review. The power of the baked cheese crackers commands you! **

**I'm not being a dick, it's honestly my friekin' 18****th****. However, I get it if you just can't think of anything. **

Two days had passed since the first battle between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord. It was almost noon. The sun shone bright in the sky. At the edge of Magnolia town, the Fairy Tail Guild building's rear faced an enormous lake. The calm, motionless blue water sparkled in the midday light. Lined up behind the guild, Fairy Tail's battle lines waited for the calm to shatter.

After determining where the most direct route from Phantom's headquarters' would lead Jose, Fairy Tail had known where to set their defenses. Also, approaching from the lake would guarantee that Phantom didn't have to worry about fighting through Magnolia or any civilian interference. Mages that used either support of healing spells were at the back. Melee fighters were mostly grouped in the center. Among them were Elfman Strauss, Loke, Erza Scarlet, the three Dragon Slayers, and Tori, who sat upon her partner's head. Bordering the center were mid-range fighters like Macao Conbolt, Laki Olietta, and Gray Fullbuster. Finally, long-range fighters were at the wings and were packed the loosest. Alzack Connel and Bisca Mulan were the undisputed leaders of this division. However, they were separated, one on each wing, which had started a shouting match in the planning room, as the two immigrants had been all but terrified at the idea of not being able to watch each other's backs. They gave in after perhaps an hour of persuasion.

Eventually, ripples started striking the cobblestone edge of the lake as Phantom's headquarters appeared. The six-legged walking guild was moving at a brisk pace, appearing to get larger and larger.

About 150 feet (give or take twenty) from the shore, the walking guild stopped. For a moment, there was silence. Then, Jose's voice boomed over the water.

"**DEFECTORS, WHERE ARE YOU?**" Okay, so the Ghost King was mad. Okay, maybe a little more than mad. Try "pissed as all hell."

Gajeel answered that one. "DOWN HERE, JACKASS!"

The next bit was blunt and quick. "**All four of you have spat on Phantom Lord's name.**" There was a cruel smile to be heard in the single word that followed. "**Excommunication.**"

There was a flash of light as four Phantom Guild marks lit up like forge-heated metal. Naruto screamed in pain and dropped to his knees, then ripped his coat and shirt off to desperately claw at his chest. His guild mark burned as if he'd been branded with it. Tori fell off of his head, small mouth open in a silent scream, convulsing. Beside the blonde, Gajeel had landed on his side with a death grip on his upper arm, face a mask of agony. Fairy Tail mages rushed to help them, but they stopped when Gex swung his hand.

"No!" he barked. "You'll just hurt their pride. Let 'em ride it out."

The man's entire right arm was a trunk of corded muscle, veins popping along its length as he muscles reflexively tightened on order from the brain, which was sending pain signals to the nerves in an insane amount and at an insane frequency. The guild mark on the inside of Gex's forearm was burning with the same hellfire as the two Dragon Slayer's, but not one iota of discomfort reached his face.

The Fairy Tail mages who had seen Naruto and Gajeel fight, and knew their strength, looked at Gex with some fusion of awe and fear. The man's tolerance for pain was inhuman, and the magic power he'd stopped hiding a day ago was frightening. The old guy in the biker outfit that had a thicker stink of booze on him than Cana Alberona was clearly of the same caliber as the Wizard Saints. That, in itself, said very clearly that Gex Quetzacos was _not_ to be fucked with.

After almost a minute of intense pain, the two Dragon Slayers rose back to their feet, panting and sweating. Their guild marks, Tori's, and Gex's had disappeared.

"You babies okay?" Gex asked.

The question was ignored, but what came out of the Iron Dragon's mouth was answer enough.

"I'm gonna strangle him with his own intestines."

Mages from all around cringed at that, mostly because, although the thick black hair cascading over his face stopped them from reading his expression, the Iron Dragon's voice betrayed not a hint of jest.

Naruto felt like he'd just gone into cardiac arrest. His chest wound from Erza had been fixed up by a healing mage the day before, but he would've gladly taken it back in exchange for what had just happened. It had felt like someone had just poured generous amounts of boiling lead down his esophagus and pounded him on the back a few times to make sure it sloshed around for good measure.

What truly worried him, however, was his partner, lying silent on the cobblestone. He scooped her up in his arms and shook her gently. "Tori…" he whispered. He was relieved to feel her heartbeat, revealing that she had simply fainted from extreme pain, but was still very much alive. _I'm the strong one. I'm supposed to protect her. …I'm sorry, partner._

His eyes shut painfully. He ground his teeth. He felt Gajeel's magic power spike beside him, and his rose accordingly to match it. Gex's power, steady and titanic, remained the dominating presence to his far right.

The blonde carried his partner behind the lines to the healers at the back, and handed Tori to a young boy with dark hair and a jean jacket.

"…Who are you, again?" he asked.

"Uh, Denato."

"Take care of her, Denato. Keep her away from the fighting, alright?"

The boy looked down at the cat and nodded in understanding. He'd seen how close Natsu-san was to Happy. If this guy and his cat were the same, he had to be hurting.

"Sure, I gotcha."

Naruto nodded and walked back to front lines. Fairy Tail had been silent throughout the exchange of words, but now he could see quite a few mages looking at him with wonder and/or approval. His eyes met Erza's and he was surprised to see her favor him with a small smile. Fairy Tail was a guild built on friendship; family you didn't need to be related to. They respected a close bond when they saw it. They had liked him before, but it went beyond that, now. Naruto Uzumaki had Fairy Tail's approval.

The blond in question was seething. As he received nods and smiles, he remembered exactly _why _he'd had to give Tori to a healer. Why they couldn't fight as partners. His fists balled up.

Looking on, Gajeel gave his fellow Dragon Slayer a rare look of sympathy. He knew that the blonde and his cat were as close as family.

Naruto picked his trench coat off of the ground and slung it over his shoulders, ignoring the rags that had been his shirt moments before. Magic boiling in his blood and steaming off his skin, Naruto screamed at Phantom Lord. He screamed at wasted years under an unworthy leader. He screamed in self-disgust for not being able to protect his best friend. He screamed a promise of revenge. He screamed at _Jose Porla_.

"HOW _DARE _YOU!"

Fairy Tail got the message; loud and clear. The three ex-Phantoms had staked a claim. Jose was _their_ prey, none other's.

"**Well, now that that little formality is done, let us return to the business at hand,**" Porla's magic-enhanced voice boomed, ignoring Naruto's outburst of rage. "**Give me Lucy Heartphilia, and you'll have no more to fear. I shall leave the rest of you in peace…**_**unspoiled**_**.**"

There was a deafening roar of defiance from Fairy Tail. Lucy Heartphilia had, unwillingly and with very troubling amounts of protest, been sent to a safe house across town with a few Fairy Tail members as bodyguards. It had been the first part of their strategy in the **Beat-Jose's-ass-around-the-block-and-then-some plan**. **Phase 1: **pretty blonde girl with the rich dad is placed as far from Phantom Lord as is humanly possible, no questions asked.

"**Very well, then,**" Jose sighed. Inside his building, the veins on his neck and face bulged along with his eyes as he screamed into the intercom. "**THEN PERISH, FAIRY TAIL! **_**I'LL EXTERMINATE ALL OF YOU**_**!**"

Before Jose even finished speaking, there was a flash of light. When it cleared, the shore was strewn with charging Phantom mages screaming battle cries.

Wakaba frantically puffed at his pipe, his purple-grey magic seal taking shape as he eyed several holding glittering spheres about the size of softballs. _Shit, teleport lacrima!_

Fairy Tail rushed the remaining distance. "Chaaaarge!"

At the literal center of the battle, Gajeel and Naruto charged in tandem, trying to smash their way through their former comrades, but they were making little progress.

Throwing his fist into a mage's face, Gajeel snorted in frustration. "These bastards are packed too tight," he growled. "We can't bust through like this, I'll just roar them outta my way!"

Naruto sent his opponent flying with a fierce kick to the jaw. "Watch it! We can't go all out on these guys!"

The Iron Dragon smashed his foot into an opponent's knee, and then landed an elbow to the screaming mage's skullcap, knocking them unconscious. He knew well what Naruto meant. Both of their brands of magic were especially dangerous to living things, even compared to Natsu's Dragon Slayer magic. Naruto and Gajeel _tore things to pieces _when they attacked. They couldn't just lower the heat output like the Salamander. Gajeel sent another mage reeling, this one with a broken nose. "Well, I'm running outta fuckin' options, blondie!"

To make matters worse, mages assembled on the roofs and windows of Phantom started firing off long ranged magic down at the rearmost Fairy Tail mages. Fairy mages on the wings eagerly returned fire, but once again, the difference in numbers was making things difficult.

**Beat-Jose's-ass-around-the-block-and-then-some plan Phase 2: **Invade the Headquarters, defeat Phantom's big guns, then destroy itfrom the inside out. With the battlefield as tightly packed as it was, they'd never get a chance to get inside.

As Naruto and Gajeel attempted to barrel through the front lines, Phantom responded and started focusing on the two Dragon Slayers, pushing them back. Along the line, Fairy Tail mages were experiencing the same trouble, even Erza, who was being effectively mobbed. Phantom's numbers advantage was becoming painfully apparent.

Gajeel, ever the fighter, snarled like a beast and heaved the mages pressing onto him away, then didn't even flinch when a burst of light magic hit him in the stomach, burning a sun-shaped hole into his shirt.

"Now you've gone and made me MAD!" Screw holding back. He wouldn't kill them, oh no he definitely wouldn't, but the kid gloves were coming off. They would just _wish_ they were dead. He threw his arm out to the side. "_Iron Dragon's sword!_" His arm changed into a massive blade with serrations that immediately started spinning, turning the sword into a chainsaw with radical destructive potential.

Naruto grinned wickedly. "Time to show them how we got our name!" He swung his arm above his head. "_Crystal Dragon's Saber Fang!_" Bright violet crystal encased his arm, which then morphed into a crescent-shaped blade. It ran parallel on the side of his forearm and engulfed his hand. The edge was made up of individual dagger-like crystals up until about six inches from the tip, where the edge smoothed out to come to a fang-like point.

The Phantom mages actually stepped back, a bit afraid of the two men, whose strength they knew all too well. "The Twin Dragon Swords of Phantom Lord…" one woman whispered in half-awe and half-fear.

"Yep. Now…" Naruto muttered.

"GET _OUT_ OF OUR WAY!" Gajeel roared, and as he roared, they simultaneously attacked Phantom's line, hacking straight through, but only barely holding back enough to keep their opponents among the living.

Phantom started trying to re-form their broken formation, but Gajeel and Naruto, standing back to back, were making it very clear just how very, _very _sharp their weapons were. They were still hazarded by the mages firing from Phantom's ramparts, but that could be dealt with as long as they had room to move around. Since the shots were being fired from so far away, dodging them was easy enough.

"C'mon, get your asses over here! We can't hold this forever!" Naruto called out.

**Phase 2**, invading Phantom's building, had been the most loosely constructed part of the plan. The only part really thought out had been the members of the boarding party. Naruto and Gajeel were a given, as they could match Phantom's top mages with relative ease, and they also knew their way around the building. Natsu, for his sheer power. Happy might have gone, too, but Erza had protested that he wasn't a fighter and would be in too much danger. Elfman, at his own dramatic insistence, the reason being that "As a man, I must protect Fairy Tail with everything I've got!" Gray went for his skill and general capabilities, one of which was getting the boarding party to Phantom in the first place with his Ice Make.

This motley collection of men assembled at the break in the battle lines. Elfman quickly went to work helping the Dragon Slayers clear room.

"_Beast Arm: Iron Bull!_" Elfman's right arm plated itself in metal. He started launching massive haymakers, following up with his regular, but still sufficiently powerful arm at anyone his metal arm missed.

Gray ran through the gap and slammed his right fist into his left palm. "Pretty far," he muttered. "_Ice Make: Causeway!_" he yelled, throwing his hands out. A staircase about 10 feet wide erupted from the stone shore to crash into Phantom's building, at the base of one of the large windows, a perfect entry point. The sides and top were armored with walls and a roof of ice, so they had nothing to fear from attacks from above.

Gray turned to the rest of the team. "Let's go! Naruto, Gajeel, you're in front!"

Gajeel hurled a mage into the lake and hopped onto the steps. He shoved his way past Gray. "We know," he growled. Naruto followed soon after with an apologetic shrug. Finally, Elfman bolted up the stairs, Phantom mages right behind him. Gray grinned, snapped his fingers, and whispered "_Unmake._" The ice mage followed Elfman just as the ice started crumbling away, dropping the mages that had followed them into Magnolia's lake. On the stairs, five mages raced to keep ahead of the falling ice.

***dattebayo***

Watching the youngsters sprint up to the Ghost King's stronghold, Gex smiled. He'd stayed behind with the healers during the battle, batting away the occasional bolt of magic that came his way with quick kicks. After all, the only target he had was Jose. He had chuckled when Naruto and Gajeel had gone completely _apeshit_ on the Phantom mages in their way. Powers above have mercy on anyone stupid enough to piss those kids off. Still…their current objective was Jose, and he'd have to steal that. _Sorry, brats, but the Ghost King's _mine_. _

He rolled his neck around and crouched, gathering his power into his legs, something that had been second nature to him for decades now.

The healing Mages looked at him in puzzlement when he started a countdown.

"…three, two, one, IMPULSO!" he bellowed, releasing the enormous strength he'd pumped into his legs.

Gex shot into the air, flying over the heads of the Fairy Tail and Phantom mages. He shot straight towards his target; the top of the tower, where Jose was surely sitting, giving out commands via communication lacrima. Not only did he want to beat the man within an inch of his life, but the quickest way to end the war would be to defeat Jose. _Cut off the head, and the body will die._

He was close, now. 20 feet, 10 feet, 5 feet…NOW!

He swung his left leg in an enormous arc across his body. "_Choque sónico!_"

The was a fading green flash of magic, and then the top of Phantom's guild _exploded_. The force of Gex's kick shattered the windows, crushed the brick wall, and snapped the 5-inch thick steel support rods as if they were mere sticks.

***dattebayo***

Denato, who was healing a gash in Macao Conbolt's arm, Tori still unconscious at his side, gaped helplessly. "He disappeared…and did _that_? I didn't even see him!"

Macao winced, nodding. "Wow…well, as great as that is, still bleeding here."

Denato gulped and resumed his healing spell. "Uh, yeah, sorry about that."

***dattebayo***

Gex landed on the floor of Phantom's top room, skidding to a halt. Standing in front of him was Jose Porla. The man had foregone his usual garb, and had now donned a turquoise jacket with pauldrons on each shoulder, a cape, and combat boots instead of the normal pointy shoes and hat. His hair was in a high ponytail. The Ghost King was dressed for war.

The Wizard Saint picked some dust out of his hair. "You never did know the meaning of restraint."

Gex snorted in indignation. "That ain't needed or _deserved_." His eyes turned hard. "Ya brought this on yourself, Jose."

Jose sighed, shoulders drooping. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "That begs the question of how. I admit I _am _curious about why you chose to take their side," he said.

Gex raised an eyebrow. "Aside from the fact that this whole fuckin' thing is your fault?" he sarcastically spat. "Migh' surprise you to know that one a' the kids Gajeel put in the hospital is my nephew. I thought he was killed years ago, along with his dad, my brother. Burned to death by arsonists, ya see?" He cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck around. "Ya know what I did to the guys who did it? _I killed 'em. Every last fuckin' one of 'em_. They weren't recognizable at all, and I can't promise _you'll_ be either."

Jose contemplated the news, unintimidated, then ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. "A simple lack of information on my part, then. But really, _you're _going to avenge the boy? I suggest that you learn your place."

"I know my place. Sittin' on your chair. My foot shoved so far up your ass you'll be tastin' my boot!"

The Ghost King's eyes narrowed, tired resignation forgotten. The air became heavy with magic. The atmosphere was saturated with the arcane, and it kept building. Gravity increased, oxygen decreased. The sky darkened. A giant purplish-black skull loomed behind Jose. Gex wrinkled his nose in disgust. Jose's magic had acquired an even worse stink of death than it'd had during their last fight it seemed. His own magic seal came to life at his feet as his muscles clenched and unclenched in anticipation.

Jose growled. The whites of his eyes turned black, the irises to a bright gold. They were like twin pools of Hades, inviting any and all to join with them in eternal torment.

"Feel like putting your magic where your mouth is, _bartender _Gex Quetzacos?" he taunted with the devil's smile, cape whipping behind him.

"Gladly, _Master _Jose Porla," Gex answered, leather jacket flapping in the uncontrollable wind.

"_Dead Wave!_"

"_Corona de Hacha!_"

There was an eerie scream of ghost energy being unleashed, just as Gex's axe kick narrowly missed splitting Jose in twain.

***dattebayo***

At the end of the causeway, Gajeel stopped abruptly, then bashed in the window that was their door with his fist. He hopped in, followed by the others. As they entered, each individual prepared for combat, only to be encountered with…complete silence. The hell?

Fairy Tail's invasion force (well, more like invasion squad) were obviously surprised that no one was there to "greet" them. They were in a massive hallway, both wide and tall, with gargoyle statues every ten feet or so on both sides.

Gray squinted, looking to see if there was anything more at the far end. "Hey, tour guides, where are we?"

Naruto retrained a snicker at being called a tour guide of all things, but Gajeel, lacking much patience or much of a sense of humor, narrowed his eyes and started walking. "We're up your ass and around the corner, pal."

Naruto let out a cackle at that and started walking as well. "I'm guessing we're on the second floor," he said. "There are five in total, and each floor's smaller than the last. There's a single room at the top instead of a sixth floor. That's where Jose probably is."

Natsu held his hand in front of him, dragon fire dancing excitedly across his fingertips. "Well, who are we going after? Jose?"

Gajeel grunted. _Gex, you jackass_. "You remember that flare of magic power? Well, the only ones here that coulda made _that_ are Gex and Jose. No point in finding Jose now." The Iron Dragon Slayer walked a few more steps, then stopped dead, along with Natsu and Naruto.

Elfman balled his fists, wary of their expressions. All three Slayers were urgently sniffing the air. "What is it?" he asked.

Gajeel snarled. "We're practically surrounded. Fuck! There shouldn't be this many mages in here!"

Gray put his fist into his palm, ready to cast. "How many?"

Naruto winced. "Too many to get a fix on." He looked back down the hallway. "Okay, listen up. This is our last chance to do any planning, because the rest of this place is _filled _with mages. I got no idea why this floor's clear, but it's an opportunity I'll damn well take!" He turned around and looked at the others. "Okay, there are three passages connected to this hallway. One leads up to the observatory and the balconies, which need to be cleared out because they're raining down long-range magic from there. Whoever does it has gotta hit hard and _fast_, before they get the chance to fire back."

Natsu pounded his fist into his palm and grinned. "I got that."

"You sure?" Naruto asked.

"Be back before you know it. Which passage?" the Salamander asked, a wicked smirk on his face.

Naruto pointed. "When we get to the cross-passage, take the first one on the right."

The group resumed walking. "The left leads downstairs. The guild hall's down there, just like in the Oaktown building. Judging by the smell," he rubbed his nose with his forefinger, "that's where Jose's keeping his second wave."

"Killbox," Gajeel said. They'd reached the three passages

Naruto nodded. He punched Elfman in the shoulder. "You and me, big guy?"

Elfman smirked and returned the punch none-to-lightly. Naruto's return grin was painful. A second later, it faded and he began rubbing his arm in obvious discomfort, prompting Gajeel to snicker at him, which in turned earned a glare that promised pranks of untold evil if the snickering continued. Gajeel actually stopped and _gulped _in apprehension. Naruto's pranks were something to be feared.

Elfman laughed. "Sure," he said. "Separate the men from the boys?"

Gajeel nudged Gray a little too hard to be friendly. "C'mon, snow fairy, that leaves you and me with the third floor. Second door on the right."

The temperature dropped at "snow fairy." "Watch it," Gray said. Gajeel just shrugged.

Natsu engulfed his fists with red flame. "I'm fired up! Let's go!"

They dashed for their respective doors.

***dattebayo***

Macao, his arm healed, was firing off spells with a vigor he hadn't felt in years. He was somewhere between the long-range and mid-range fighters, or at least he would be if everyone was still in formation. He actually found himself laughing as a rather portly mage charged him head-on with a mallet about three times their size.

"Eat this, old man!"

_Oh, hell no! _"_Purple Rain!_"

As the mage collapsed under the hail of fireballs, Macao found himself jumping back to avoid a katana coming at his face. The man who wielded it wore what could best be described as ninja clothes. Furred jacket, wire-mesh shirt. The guy's hair, half white and half black, only added to the weird look. Macao guessed that he was in his early twenties.

The senior Fairy Tail member smirked. "Oi, careful with that. Does your mom know you've been playing with weapons?"

The man only smirked back. "I'm Totomaru, pyrokinetic of the Element Four. You're my next victim."

Macao raised an eyebrow. "Pyro-what?"

"Pyro _kinetic_. All manner of fire is under my control!"

"Care to test that?" Macao growled. "_Purple Cannon!_"

The intense burst of fire magic shot in the sky harmlessly when Totomaru waved his hand, a red magic seal taking its place beside him. The cocky smirk remained. "That all?"

"Just getting started. This'll be fun."

***dattebayo***

Natsu smashed through the mages in the observatory. He saw more gathering to his side and whipped his head around, inflating his cheeks.

"_Fire Dragon's Roar!_"

They mages crashed into the wall, severely burned and down for the count. Natsu grinned in smug assurance. "Cake!"

"Care to rethink that?" a female voice chirped.

Natsu spun around, surprised that his senses hadn't picked up the woman's presence. Even odder was that her scent was completely unfamiliar to him. She didn't even have the common smell of Oaktown that the other Phantom members had. She wore a white shirt, black jacket, jean miniskirt, and red leather boots, and her mint-green hair was done up in a bun. She carried an enormous sword over her shoulder with a red gem set into the hilt.

"Who are you?" he asked. Whoever she was, she wasn't some ordinary mage.

She swung her sword off of her shoulder and held it two-handed in front of her.

"Kellith Coreblade, Phantom subdivision leader. I guess you're Natsu the Salamander, then. Huh, you don't look like much." She pouted, which might have been rather cute if not for her miss-bitch attitude and the giant sword.

A tick marked popped onto Natsu's forehead. "Okay, that's it! I'm gonna turn you to cinders!" He crouched and shot forward.

"_Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!_"

***dattebayo***

Gray wandered onto the walkway, wondering how in the _hell _it was raining only within his immediate vicinity. Logic had decided to take a vacation day, it seemed. Whatever. Honestly, that was Fairy Tail in a nutshell. He was used to it.

Suddenly, he felt an overwhelmingly magic power, comparable to his own, behind him and spun to face it.

He put his fist into his palm. "Who are you?" he demanded.

He saw a woman of average height in a blue jacket, black boots, and an unusual hat, holding a pink parasol over her head. He guessed this had to be Juvia Lockser, the water mage of the Element Four.

The woman put a finger to her chin, then gestured at the rain, spinning around. The display would normally have been one of joy, but her face was sad.

"Juvia is a rain woman. Drip, drip…drop."

Gray felt his fight-or-flight instinct act up. _I got a bad feeling about this…_

***dattebayo***

Gajeel sat patiently on the railing, waiting for his opponent to arrive. He picked at his teeth absentmindedly, feeling a scrap of iron stuck between his canine and incisor. He was close to getting the obnoxious scrap out when a giant form materialized next to him.

"Ya know Aria," he said, "it's still creepy as hell when you do that."

The strongest of the Element Four ignored him. "THE SADNESS!" Tears overflowed from the Airspace mage's blindfolded eyes. "HOW COULD YOU BETRAY US, GAJEEL! IT'S SO…_SAD!_"

Gajeel wiggled a finger into his ear to try and fix his eardrum, which he would bet was now bleeding due to the large man's equally large and infinitely annoying voice. "Typical," he grunted. "A guild full of mages and _I _get the annoying one. Just happens to also be the toughest." He smirked. "Hey, might be fun, eh?"

Magic molded itself around Aria's plate-sized hands. "Your defeat will be sad. But I will do as Master Jose wishes."

"Gihihi!" Gajeel turned his forearm into a club and shot it at Aria's chest.

***dattebayo***

Naruto popped the bomb lacrima he'd borrowed from a Phantom mage (well, more like just taken off of their unconscious body) into his mouth and chewed as fast as he could. As the mages closed on him again, he opened his mouth and exhaled a burning twister of crystal shards.

"_Uzumaki Vulcan Roar,_" he said, belching smoke. "How'd ya like that?"

As the regular mages stepped away, suddenly not as confident with their advantage in numbers as they'd been before, a single mage approached Naruto. He was, to put it plainly, tall, dark, and handsome. Black skin, well-crafted features, and an imposing height of at least six-and-a-half feet made the man look like a male model. He wore nothing but a pair of black leggings cut off at the knees and an emerald sarong patterned with blue designs, exposing a lean but definitely muscular physique.

The man bowed low. "Phantom Lord subdivision leader, Ostic Lunga. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Uzumaki-san, despite the less-than-ideal circumstances."

"I've heard about you before," Naruto responded. "It's good to meet you too, but the circumstances are more Jose's fault than anyone's."

Ostic smiled. A weird, studded, bone-like armor started oozing out of his skin, encasing his forearms and hands. "Be that as it may, we are not here to debate, yes?"

Naruto returned the smile. "Now you're talkin'. Let's go!"

Suffice to say, the other mages gave them a wide berth.

***dattebayo***

The mages kept coming, so Elfman Strauss just kept hitting. Jab, uppercut, haymaker. Just hit by hit by hit. He hit 'til _both _his arms felt like falling off. Mages backed away. His shoulder had been scorched by a spell, and his coat was torn, but aside from that he was just winded. He deactivated his Beast Arm momentarily to save some juice. He figured he'd need it.

He panted, then leaped back in alarm when he noticed the floor cracking beneath his feet. His geta sandals squeaked on the stone floor as he skidded to a stop, and he watched a small monocle-wearing man in a suit emerge from the floor, somehow _merged _with it.

Elfman tore his jacket off. This mage wasn't normal. "You're the Earth Element Four, huh? Sol?"

The man wobbled back and forth, waving his hands in a way that was just about too creepy to be described. "I see Naruto-sama and Gajeel-sama have been talking. I am Monsieur Sol!"

Elfman's eyes narrowed. "_Beast Arm: Iron Bull!_"

**Perhaps the first non-cliffhanger? I dunno, I'm an idiot.**

**Yes, Gex's techniques are gonna be in Spanish.**

_**Choque sónico- Sonic Crash**_

_**Corona de Hacha- Crown Axe**_

_**Impulso- Boost (noun)**_

**REWIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

**MY 18****TH**** BIRTHDAY COMMANDS YOU! (So do the cheezits in my pantry!)**

**PS – please, do not just say "happy birthday" if you do review. I just want some constructive criticism. Btw I think I replied to all my reviewers from last chapter. If I didn't, rage at me.**

**Honestly, though, I appreciate all of you. **

**Much love.**


	9. Rainbow Obsidian

**What is UP my brothas and sistas? Thank you for all the birthday wishes and reviews. Unfortunately, I drank too much sangria to read all of them the night of.**

**Anyways, I'm gonna be splitting the battle up. Each fight gets its own chapter because I don't want to confuse you or bore you to death by switching back and forth. Also, it means I can punch them out pretty damn quick.**

**The order is random. Well, my definition of random. Essentially, whatever order I feel like. I happen to have thought out most of this one already, so it' going first.**

Ostic Lunga had the body of an athlete, and so Naruto had, naturally, been expecting the subdivision leader to hit hard and fast. What he did _not _expect was to immediately be thrown into the wall with a tremendous open palm to the chin, almost biting off his tongue when his mouth snapped shut. As it was, he could swear that one of his fangs was loose, an impressive feat in itself.

Naruto groaned and set himself back onto his feet. Ostic, for his part, waited quietly for the blonde to rise. The mages surrounding them cheered for their subdivision leader, under the impression that Naruto was completely outmatched.

Naruto rolled his neck around and worked his jaw left to right, checking to see that nothing was dislocated. He grinned. "That's one _hell _of a hit. I don't wanna know what it'd feel like if you punched me with that bone-armor stuff." He gestured to the armor on his opponents arms.

Ostic laughed. "I thank you for the compliment, Naruto-san. Truthfully, though, I expected more from one of the so called 'Twin Dragon Swords.'"

Naruto flung off his coat and flexed his arms. "To be honest, I really hate that nickname. It's corny as hell. But hey, you want more, I can deliver."

With that, he shot forward and closed the distance. Naruto launched a furious assault, throwing fists, elbows, and kicks like a man possessed. Ostic blocked them almost effortlessly, a bored look on his face. Then, Naruto broke off the exchange, hopped back, and launched forward, swinging his right leg into a mighty roundhouse kick. Assured of his superior speed, reach, power, and defense, Ostic just raised a bone-encased forearm to intercept the attack.

In mid-strike, eyes hidden beneath his bangs, Naruto's tight expression erupted into a wicked smirk. "_Crystal Dragon's Talons!_"

Two inches from Ostic's arm, Naruto shin and foot crystallized. Before the tall man could react, crystal met bone. Ostic went flying into the wall. He rose slowly, legs shaking. He was breathing heavily, clutching his left forearm, which was mangled and bent horribly. More than half the fingers were broken.

The spectators were in a state of shocked silence.

Ostic smiled through his obvious pain, and righted himself. "You are a dangerous man, Naruto-san. You were playing with me, letting me get cocky." He shook his head. "I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker." The smile became a glare. "However, do not think for even a second that you have won this fight."

Ostic gripped his broken arm with his good one and gritted his teeth, muscles clenched in effort. Naruto's eyes threatened to grow to the size of dinner plates as the limb he'd destroyed almost beyond recovery began healing itself. The snapped ulna popped back inside the skin, which healed over. Muscles knitted back together and blood retreated back into the wounds before they closed.

Naruto licked his lips. His mouth was dry. "What the fuck are you?"

Ostic just smiled. "I am a master of Body Crafter magic. I have complete control over my own flesh. An optimized muscle structure, increased lung capacity, and iron-hard bones are just a few of the benefits my magic provides. I am the closest thing to a superhuman that there is. In fact," he rubbed his arm, "you are one of very few men who can boast that they forced me to heal myself."

"Okay then," Naruto said, "that just means that I have to drop you quick!" He cupped his clawed hands in front of his mouth. "_Crystal Dragon's Roar!_"

As Ostic leapt to the side to avoid the twister of blades, Naruto was already moving. He sprinted close to the ground, claws grating the floor. When he reached Ostic he swung up, trying to claw the man's arm to ribbons so that it would be beyond healing. Naruto was shocked when Ostic's bone armor appeared again and stopped the attack. The man grunted with the effort. "Now that I know how strong you are," he said, "I know just how strong my body must be." He snatched up Naruto by his wrist with his right hand and threw him.

"You won't touch me again!"

Naruto skidded to a halt, then charged again. "Well see about that!" Naruto dropped to all fours, running like a beast, his claws digging deep into the floor. Suddenly, he leaped onto the stone wall, sprinting as quickly as he could. When he was close he leapt off the wall and came down. "_Crystal Dragon's Cross Fang!_"

To Naruto's shock, Ostic blocked the shrieking X-shaped arc of energy. The man's entire arms were encased in plates of bone armor.

Two scythe-like bones shot from the Phantom mage's forearms. "_Marrow Cutter!_" he yelled, then pulled his arms up, cutting the cross fang in half.

Not to be deterred, Naruto attacked again. Ostic ducked under a scything kick and slammed his fist into the blonde's gut with appalling force. The Dragon Slayer hit the ground and gasped for air, spit leaking from his lips. He couldn't breathe. He thought he had at least one broken rib. Before he could get up, a foot slammed into the small of his back, pinning him to the floor.

"I respect you, Naruto-san," Ostic said, "but you are not strong enough to beat _me_ yet."

Naruto choked on blood and spit, his creams of pain muffled by the floor. He tried to silence himself, but his broken rib was digging into his chest. He had to break free. If this kept up, he could start bleeding internally, and then he'd be completely fucked. As the pressure on his back increased, he braced his claws on the floor and pushed as hard as he could.

_I'm not done…_

"Stop struggling. I do not want to seriously hurt you!"

_I'm not gonna…lose…to the likes of you!_

His claws grating on the stone, Naruto finally got his feet under him and pushed with all his might, throwing Ostic's foot off of his back.

Naruto spat blood and saliva. "You're strong, you're fast, and you're smart. But you're still just a man, and you can still bleed!"

As if responding to that challenge, Ostic flared his magic power. The bone plates on his arms expanded to cover his whole body, from his chest to his feet. Slowly, they coated his head as well, leaving the man with an osteoplastic suit of armor, complete with a skull-like helmet. Ostic slammed his fists together.

"Then come!" he said. "Show me what a Dragon Slayer can do!"

As Ostic charged, Naruto swung his arm across his body, then swung it back, launching a dozen six-inch violet spines from the back of his forearm. "_Crystal Dragon's Quills!_"

The barrage struck Ostic full-on in his armored chest, each quill digging about an inch into his bone plate armor, but not piercing his skin. He wasn't injured, but the impact drove him to his knees and winded him.

"I've got three colors," Naruto said, bringing both of his hands above his head, breathing deeply. "Purple is peace, my default. Red is blood, anger, and passion for when people _really _piss me off." He braced his legs, head drooped. "The last is black, for death." His already deep voice degenerated to a raspy growl. "You should be thankful that you're too strong to kill outright!"

Ostic regained his footing and resumed charging, roaring a battle cry. Naruto resumed his rhythmic breathing, only for the rise and fall of his chest to cease with his opponent a mere ten feet from him.

"Goodnight, Ostic Lunga. _**Rainbow Obsidian: TRIBUTE TO THE DAMNED**__!_"

Time stopped. Ostic was powerless to react as the floor beneath him split open. He was powerless to dodge as enormous crystal spears erupted from the ground, flaring out in rings, with a single 2-foot thick spire at the center. He was powerless to do anything but watch as his armor shattered, his muscles tore, his flawless face was peppered with dirt and stone, and his bones were thoroughly broken. Phantom Lord subdivision leader Ostic Lunga crashed to the floor, defeated.

Light flooding the windows reflected off of the crystals, bathing the room in a beautiful rainbow. Naruto walked up to Ostic's fallem form, illuminated from behind by the many colors emanating from his creation.

"I held back," he croaked. "You'll be fine." He looked behind him at the spires. "Black as night, but reflecting an entire aurora. That's the most complex, hardest, and sharpest crystal in existence. You're the first on to push me far enough to have to use my secret techniques."

The mages surrounding the two were speechless, shocked so thoroughly that they didn't even blink, even though the light pained their eyes.

Naruto turned his fierce gaze to them, normally cerulean eyes glowing violet with a touch of inky black, slit pupils daring them to try something. "Jose started this war. He deserves to take the heat for it." Naruto activated his saber fang, turning his hand into a blade. "_Don't make me put you all down with him._"

The Phantom mages started panicking and muttering to each other. Naruto growled in frustration. "Get it through your thick skulls! You don't have to fight! Try it, and I'll just kick all your fucking asses! Want some?"

There was a mass exclamation of "No!" as the mages fled upstairs, hopefully to vacate the general area. After they left, Naruto dropped to one knee and released his sword spell. He'd been bluffing. Creating crystal out of nothing but pure energy was an intensely complex process. Even his most basic of attacks would put an ordinary mage to their knees with the effort. His reserves of magic power were practically unheard of for a mage his age, but that last attack had almost drained him dry.

Holding his injured ribs, a wincing Naruto staggered to the wall and sat, leaning against it.

He sighed. "I need a nap, damnit."

**There ya go, cheezits. First fight done. **

**The baked cheese crackers command you…review…review…REVIEW! I tried to keep the fighting exciting but still long enough to hold your attention, so tell me if I did it right.**

**Lemme know which fight you want to see next!**

**As usual, I'm pretty sure I responded to everyone (that the site let me respond to). If I didn't, rage at me.**


	10. The Crimson Lotus blooms

**Stop! …Natsu time!**

Natsu's flame-cloaked form shot towards Kellith's waist in a charge capable of turning a human to a cracked piece of charcoal. He was so close that he could see a rip that had been stitched shut on the woman's miniskirt. Then, just before the sword horn connected, she _faded _out of the way. Well, not literally. It was like time had slowed down. The movement was gentle and easy, like a leaf swaying in the wind. Just as gently and easily, but so fast that it was just a series of afterimages in Natsu's eyes, Kellith raised her greatsword above her head, expression morphing into a smug grin.

Natsu's eyes went wide. As slow as time was passing in his eyes right now, he knew he hadn't a prayer of dodging the hack he was speeding straight into. Just because he could see it didn't mean he could stop it. _Shit, she'll cut me in half!_

The Salamander's body reacted, putting him into the natural defense it had always relied on. His brain shut down and instinct took over. His fire-encased palms slammed into the floor, halting any further movement and flipping him upwards. As Kellith's sword came down, Natsu's right foot smashed into it, knocking it out of the way, while his left shot towards her face. The swordmage simply drifted away again, then swung low in an attempt to sever Natsu's hands at the wrists. He pushed off of the floor and landed on his feet a few yards away.

Natsu was no longer grinning. "You're fast. Really fast."

Kellith remained smiling. "Since that old booze-head got, like, kicked out, I'm the fastest mage in Phantom Lord, pinkie. Me and Coreblade here," she patted her sword lovingly, "we'll cut you up before you even feel it."

Natsu Dragneel didn't like thinking. It bored him. He much preferred _doing_ things to playing them over in his head. He bit his cheek in frustration as he realized that even though his battle instincts had just saved him, they might not again.

Kellith charged him, then spun like a bladed top as she reached him. Natsu hopped into the air, barely avoiding getting sliced in half by the manically screaming swordswoman below him. This was why he hated having to think. Things got done _so_ much faster when he didn't.

Okay, she was obviously faster than he was. She wasn't particularly strong, but with that dangerous piece of hardware she didn't need to be; if she hit him he'd be screwed. Speaking of the sword, did it even do anything?

Natsu shot off a series of punches at Kellith's head, only for his fists to strike afterimages. Next he knew, she was behind him, laughing, swinging her sword. Natsu hopped away. It seemed that was all he could do. She was too quick, and the gap in their reach was killing him. _Reach…hah, that's it!_

As she came at him again, sword raised high, his grin came back to life. Fuck that speed of hers! He sucked in a massive breath. "Dodge this! _Fire Dragon's Roar!_"

The gurgling twister of flame thrashed towards Kellith, yet she made no attempt to dodge. The wave of fire edged closer to her, ever closer. When it was no more than a couple of feet from her face, she acted, swinging Coreblade up in a wild arc.

"_Eruption Wall!_" she screamed. Before she'd even finished speaking, Coreblade's gem glowed red, and the blade erupted into a plume of magma that flew up into a barrier in front of Kellith.

Natsu's jaw dropped as his fire was smothered by the molten earth. "Damn…," he muttered. He took his vest off and flung it aside, cracking his knuckles. _Holder-type. And that's some nasty magic._

Kellith was laughing madly as her wall came down. Lava dripped from Coreblade's edge. The subdivision leader reached behind her head and unbound her hair, letting the mint-green tresses fall to her waist. "Well?" she taunted. "Are you even gonna, like, fight me? Everyone raves on about how _powerful_ and _fiery _the Salamander is, but they obviously never saw it for themselves. You're about as fiery as a wet kitten."

Natsu let out a warning growl.

"I mean, like, come on," Kellith continued, "you're one of Fairy Tail's top powerhouses and you're this weak?" Natsu's teeth were clenched in pure rage, and fire started covering his body, starting from his feet.

Kellith smiled then. "I could probably beat your entire guild by myself."

_Oh, hell no!_ "SHUT UP!"

Getting the vibe that not complying immediately would likely result in facial disfigurement, the swordmage instinctually obliged, too shocked to say anything.

Natsu was shaking, his fire burning a hole through the ceiling. Suddenly, he pointed an ignited finger at her dramatically, eyes wide. "You are so annoying! I mean…people tell me _I'm _annoying, but you're like _really_,_ REALLY _annoying!"

While Kellith stood in place, completely dumbfounded, Natsu zipped away in a flicker of flame, coming up behind her. He swung a fist at her head.

"First off—" he began, before retracting his punch and crouching to avoid Coreblade swing at his torso. A drop of lava sizzled on his shoulder blade, but he paid it little mind, kicking Kellith in the stomach.

"—I'm not even in Fairy Tail's top five! Even if you beat me, gramps, Erza, Gildartz, Mystogan, or even that prick Laxus would destroy you!"

He formed a massive fireball above his head and hurled it his opponent. "_Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!_"

Kellith swung her sword at it, and Coreblade let off a wave of magma. "_Flash Flare!_"

The fire and magma crashed, filling the observatory with heat. Eventually, however, the magma smothered the fire and oozed forward on the floor. Natsu leapt over it, igniting his legs.

He kicked at Kellith's face, only her to dodge it with ease. "Second—" he began, only to have a burst of lava jet into his chest and send him into the pool of lava he'd just leapt over.

"It's over, fairy!" Kellith yelled. She drove Coreblade into the floor with a grunt of effort, ramming the blade half to the hilt into the tiles. "_LAVA FOUNTAIN!_"

Just as Natsu dragged himself out of the puddles of molten rock on the floor, he was engulfed again as the entire room erupted, save for a small circle around Kellith herself.

Veins of lava coursed through the structure, all rooted at Coreblade's tip. Tile and stone melted, wood burned, and Natsu was drowning.

***dattebayo***

Erza dodged a blast of Ice Magic, then cut the caster across the shoulder with her sword before ramming her fist into the man's face. She felt facial bones crumble under her armored knuckles. As the man fell, her eyes flashed around, seeking another opponent. What she saw made her eyes widen to the size of tennis balls.

The top right side of the Phantom Lord building was _melting_. Lava seeped through the walls as that portion of the structure the structure burned and collapsed. It was like the building was _bleeding _magma.

A mage charged at Erza, fist drawn back. Reflexively, she punched him in the face, not moving a single other muscle. Her eyes didn't move an inch.

She swallowed nervously. She had a very bad feeling about this.

***dattebayo***

Now, it should be noted that Natsu Dragneel's status as the son of Igneel, and therefore the only living Fire Dragon Slayer, is not just for show. He eats, breathes, and _lives _flame. His normal body temperature is about 115 degrees Fahrenheit, a number that would rise accordingly whenever he stopped controlling his magic power. Anger, battle, emotional triggers in general are capable of making him so hot that anything near him combusts whether he wills it or not. It is only due to rigorous training and effort to make his control effortless that Natsu keeps himself from turning everything around him into a burning wasteland. Suffice to say, Natsu Dragneel loves the heat, he lives the heat, he eats the heat, because he _is _the heat. His digestive tract actually benefits from contact with flame, so it only stands to reason that a heat-based attack doesn't even qualify as an annoyance to the Salamander. The one exception to this rule only comes with sheer power; an incredible amount of it. If you could evaporate a waterfall you _might _be able to harm Natsu Dragneel.

He doesn't know why, but it hurts. He doesn't get it. Nothing burns him. He can't _be _burned. It literally _cannot _happen, it never has. Even Makarov couldn't put a dent in him with fire magic. He knew from experience. Even if this wasn't technically fire, there was no way it could hurt this much. His nerves were going crazy. He was in so much pain that he was numb, incapable of moving even a finger.

Overhead, he heard a faint sound aside from the gurgling magma coursing around him. His enhancing hearing deciphered some words.

"…Losers. If that was what one their tougher mages is like, this'll be a joke. I guess I'll head down, too. Can't let Totamaru, like, take the glory for snatching Heartfilia for himself."

Suddenly, the pain was the last thing on his mind.

_Flashback_

_**1 day before**_

"_If you belong _anywhere_, it's here in this filthy pub, telling stories and going on adventures." He smiled and jerked a thumb towards his chest. "You're Lucy of Fairy Tail. This is where you belong."_

_Tears fell from his teammate's eyes. Man, was she weird._

_***dattebayo***_

_**4 years ago**_

_He popped a lit match into his mouth. "Hey, Naruto-nii," he asked. "You ever get the feeling that something is just…really, really special? Like, so special that you can't ever let it go?"_

_Naruto was gnawing on a stick of rock candy. "Uh…I dunno. Ramen, maybe?"_

"_Besides ramen."_

_Naruto scratched his head. "I guess…my precious people. Tori, you…hell, metalhead and Gex, too."_

_Natsu tossed a couple more matches into his mouth. He had something like that. They took him in, became his friends. He grinned and lay down, resting his head on his arms and staring at the stars. _

_Fairy Tail._

_Flashback end_

His fangs ground together in anger, so hard he thought they'd break. His fists clenched. Tears stung his eyes and immediately evaporated.

He'd come here for a reason. If he lost here, it would stain Fairy Tail's name. If he fell to Kelith Coreblade, the unthinkable would happen.

If he lost, Phantom might destroy Fairy Tail.

If he lost, they'd destroy his home.

If he lost, they would hurt his nakama.

If he lost, they would take Lucy.

Something snapped within him. _Over my dead body._

The magma started receding, unable to smother the power that radiated from him now. Flames of the darkest crimson formed a sinister haze around him. He crawled out of the deep pool of magma that had nearly killed him, and a smirk of satisfaction came to his face at his would-be-killer's expression.

Kellith's eyes were wide in disbelief, her mouth gaping, and her body stiff as a steel rod. Sweat coated her hands to the point where she nearly dropped Coreblade, both from fear and from the intense heat. She struggled to breathe. The Salamnder's hair was scorched and burned, looking more like frizzled cotton candy than the usual pink spikes, and his body was covered in severe burns that wept plasma fluid, his aching red flesh underneath the skin perfectly visible to the naked eye. His shorts were all but destroyed, but his ever-present scarf was, astonishingly, unharmed.

Natsu stepped forward, primal instincts telling him to make this sword-swinging bitch _pay_. He was strong. Stronger than he'd ever been. He kept advancing, the flames around him dancing in excitement.

"As I was _trying _to say: second, even if you were ten times stronger than me, you'd never beat Fairy Tail." He felt…oddly eloquent. The words just flowed off of his tongue. "You jackasses really have no idea what you stepped on by coming here. Fairy Tail's family. Everyone there is always hurting somewhere, and we get through it by leanin' on each other."

Kellith swung at his head in desperation. "Get away from me, you monster!"

Natsu caught the blade with one hand, then leaned in, smiling, ignoring the blood running down his arm. Kellith could smell his breath, a mixture of smoke and his own blood. The Dragon Slayer's pupils were slit, black irises reflecting the unrestrained power he held within him.

"Even if I was God-fucking-zilla himself, Fairy Tail wouldn't _care_. We're always gonna stick by each other. You attack Lucy, you attack our family. And we won't let you get away with it."

He wrenched his wrist down, snapping Coreblade in two. He tossed the ten-inch piece of blade in his hand over his shoulder.

Kellith's eyes started tearing against her will. She had never been so scared in her life. This man…he could kill her if he wanted to. He was _going_ to kill her. She didn't…didn't want to die yet. No! She wouldn't _I won't _let him _let this pink-haired pretty boy_ kill her _kill me!_

She threw a wild punch at his face. He caught it and she screamed in pain as her fist was scorched.

"We don't kill in Fairy Tail, but I'll beat you all until you wish you were dead to keep my friends safe." He pulled his free hand back, then clenched it into a tight fist. The blood-red flames surrounding his body started migrating towards his fist, condensing towards that single point.

"**_Crimson Lotus…_**_**DRAGON RAILGUN!**_"

The fire gathered on Natsu's fist exploded outwards in a shape reminiscent of a barbed spearhead, crashing into Kellith's gut like a point-blank shotgun blast. It was a wave of flame, a lance of pure, red heat that burned through her skin and very nearly turned her intestines into charcoal. Two ribs and an arm shattered as she hit the wall and sank to the ground, her singed mint-green hair falling over her face. She still gripped Coreblade's useless hilt in one hand. The red gem had stopped glowing.

Natsu let out a breath. "Now to find the others…" he said, attempting to walk out of the burning observatory. Before he'd gone five feet, however, he collapsed to his knees, then fell on his face.

He found that he couldn't move. A couple seconds after that, his eyes shut in blissful unconsciousness.

**Well, there ya go. Dunno who's next yet, so don't ask. Sorry that took so long.**

**About the "Railgun" - I made it up. It's basically what I said: a spear shaped blast of hot-as-fuck-fire. We're talking buffalo wing hot, people.**

**If respond to your review I did not, rage at me, you should. (Yoda moment)**

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**CHEEEZITS COMMAND YOU!**

**SHOUTOUT to Master of Ice and Wuji Grey for the very engaging debate on Ritz vs Cheezits.**

**Leave your vote in your review! VOTE FOR CHEEZITS!**

**BUT REMEMBER TO REVIEW ABOUT OTHER STUFF TOO!**

**CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM!**

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***sighs* I am such a review-whore**


	11. Crushing the Elements

Elfman rubbed at his eyes frantically with his human arm, trying to get the grains of sand out of them so he could see. When he opened them, the first thing he saw was a brown pant leg speeding towards his face. He didn't even have time to form a curse of surprise before Sol's kick sent him reeling.

"Ugh…" He spat blood. So far, the thin—but deceptively strong—man had been throwing him around like a ragdoll. Elfman wiped his brow and his hand came away bloody. He grunted in dejected resignation when he realized that Sol's kick had cut his brow open.

The earth mage started laughing. "Non, non, non, is this all? Naruto-sama and Gajeel-sama must be losing their touch, picking allies this weak."

Elfman stood and rolled his neck. "Shut it. This fight isn't over."

Sol swayed from side to side. "Oh, but you are MISTAKEN, Elfman-sama." He vanished into the ground and re-emerged behind Elfman, wrapping his malleable body around the Fairy Tail mage as a constrictor would do to a rat.

Sol tightened his "coils," a dark smile on his face as he whispered into Elfman's ear. "It was over the second I became your opponent."

Elfman quickly gulped down some air and held it before Sol tightened his grip. He was really into animals as a kid, and snakes always creeped him out. One thing he remembered from the books and stories is that every time the victim tries to take a breath, the snake just grips harder. Elfman tightened his considerable muscle mass as hard as he could, but despite his efforts he felt Sol's grip pulping his ribcage.

Sol's head leaned in close to Elfman. The Fairy Tail mage's face was an expression of effort. His eyes were shut, veins bulged on his temples and neck, and his teeth ground together.

"I don't even need my Elemental magic to defeat you. I am an S-class. You are rank-less, title-less, _worthless_."

Elfman grunted out a response, his strained voice still strong, but tight with pain. "A real man…would fight me straight-on. Fuck you…butt-muncher Sol!"

The Phantom mage's face darkened considerably. Then, he rapidly uncoiled his body, the momentum flinging Elfman away. He rolled to lessen the impact and got to his feet.

Sol held his arms out, sandy-brown magic seals appearing around each hand. The mage's thin, oval-shaped face was clenched tightly in anger. "I have told you that my name is _Monsieur_ Sol!"

Elfman held up his Beast Arm: Iron Bull. "You're trying to destroy my guild, you pathetic excuse for a man. I'll call you whatever the hell I want."

In lieu of a verbal response, Sol slammed his palms into the ground. "_Dernière Symphonie!_"

The tiles split, and Elfman barely avoided a stone pole that shot out of the floor towards his head.

_Shit, that was close! _Another rod struck him in the side, nearly putting him to his knees. _Okay, so maybe freaky French guy had a point. He's in a completely different league than the grunts I was thrashing earlier. _He snapped a third rod in two with his iron arm. _How can he just make these things pop up wherever he wants? _Ignoring any further attacks, Elfman bulldozed his way through and pulled his fist back. "You're mine!"

Sol just grinned. Then, he rose, swinging his arms up. "_Chœur!_"

Elfman didn't even have time to get his arms up to guard himself before what could only be described as a _phalanx _of stone rods erupted from all around him and smashed into his body, battering every inch of him. When he hit the floor, the pain was like hellfire. His Beast Arm had deactivated without his command. He couldn't move.

_This guy…he just pulverized me…like a piece of ground meat. What the hell is he?_

Sol laughed. "It seems that you're done. Non, Non, too easy." He began walking out of the room they'd fought in, a meeting hall of sorts. The long table in the middle had been all but demolished, and chairs were scattered all over. One in particular was blocking the doorway. The Element Four member picked it up, then tossed it aside with a casual flick of his hand. On his way out, he gestured to the other Phantom members, who were bordering the room, wicked grins on their faces. Some of them, those who had fallen victim to Elfman's punches, were twitching like leashed hunting dogs, just waiting to be given the command to attack.

They got it. "Non, non, non, make sure he can't fight against Master Jose again, hmm?"

Elfman put on a burst of energy and got his arms under him, then struggled to his feet, at the very least so he so could say he _tried _to fight like a man. However, a mage struck him in the chest with a thick chain and he was felled immediately.

"Hehehe, not so tough now, are ya, big guy?" the man sneered. He wore a shirt with ripped sleeves and pale jeans. The Phantom mage started spinning the chain above his head. "You were knocking us around pretty good earlier, but now you're our bitch, pal."

Elfman managed to raise his head to cringe in disgust at them, even as they approached him, cracking their knuckles and readying spells. "You're no mages. You're no men. You're just a cheap pack of dogs, you shit-stain thugs!" he growled.

The chain struck him in the knee, and then the aforementioned shit-stain thug kicked him in the face. "Shut the fuck up! What you say doesn't matter for shit, 'cuz you're gonna die here anyway!"

The other mages cheered the man on and began to strike at Elfman as well. "Yeah, trash! We're Phantom mages! We're better than you freakin' fairies!"

All Elfman could do was lie there and take it as they kicked, punched, burned, froze, and in general beat the shit out of him.

_No, damnit! I can't lose,_ he thought desperately.

**_You already have, _**a voice in the back of his head retorted.

_Shut up! Why won't you disappear?!_

Elfman stared down the thing inside his head. They stood on nothing, alone but for the darkened atmosphere and each other. A great, hulking, dark shape faced Elfman, its eyes glowing magenta.

**_Because you took me within you without the strength to control my power. _**

_You're always in there…whispering your fucking sweet nothings in the back of my head…I want you out!_

The monster threw its head back and laughed, the awful, grating sound reverberating through Elfman's mind. **_Why do you want me gone, Elfman? I am your only true strength; strength you refuse to use! Your sister died because she was _****weak****_! Your other sister lost her powers because she was _****weak****_! Your friends will lose here because they are _****weak****_! You need power. Let me take control! I'll crush these fools!_**

Inside his mind, Elfman snarled, so fiercely that any person that could've heard his thoughts would have backed away in utter fright. Elfman snarled like a predator; he snarled like a beast, _the_ Beast.

Memories of Lisanna came to him. Smiling, bubbly, funny, supportive, beautiful Lisanna. His little sister. His little sister that always read stories with him, spent time with him. The little sister that was the glue for the three Take Over siblings. She kept them together. When she left, they broke.

She died because of the voice inside his head. Every time he remembered, the grief came back. As mages kicked at his head and insulted him, he felt every bit of the grief, anger, and self-loathing he'd felt at the grave.

As blood streamed down his face, he remembered his beloved imouto's battered form being sent flying by a swat of the Beast's hand, _his _hand.

_No…_ he told the hateful thing. _Lisanna died because I was too weak to assimilate you for good. I couldn't control you. Nee-chan lost her strength because I was too weak to protect them from you. _He stretched out a spectral hand and pointed. _Your power is mine already. _I'm_ the Beast now. I don't need _you_. _

**_Boy, you are as good as dead unless you free me._**

_Wrong, _Elfman growled._ I'll be strong! I've had enough of you!_

The men had finally stopped beating him. Elfman began to slowly push himself up, gritting his teeth with the pain.

_I'll be strong enough to take the hits. I'll be strong enough to be a shield. I'll be strong enough to protect everyone else!_

"Holy shit…God almighty…this guy's a damn monster…" The Phantom Mages began to back away in fear as Elfman got to one knee.

The Beast growled. **_Think about what you're saying, boy…_**

Elfman cut the Beast off. _No. I don't need you. I never needed you. I was blaming myself like a child, when I should've faced my problems, should've taken control. I should've fought back. _

He got to his feet, and braced a hand on his knee to steady himself. Blood dripped from wounds all over his body. He had at least three broken ribs. His nose was shattered. The skin on his right shin and knee was torn.

He took a deep, shaky breath. He turned his back on the Beast. _I am Elfman Strauss of Fairy Tail…_

Flickering gold squares began flashing into existence on his skin. A dark purple magic circle flared to life at his feet. He would win with his own strength. He would protect Fairy Tail. He would protect his sister. He stepped out of his mind. It was time to man up.

"…and I…AM A MAN!"

Light erupted from the magic seal as Elfman roared out. Never again would he hide behind his bravado, never again would he allow himself to lose. Jose's men squinted as light bathed the room.

They heard a long exhalation of breath.

As the light faded, Phantom's mages gasped in shock. Elfman was roughly the same height and build as he'd been before, but any similarities besides those were few and far between. Elfman's white spikes were longer now, and fell down his back instead of stubbornly sticking up as they used to. There was a bridge of striped, bronze-colored horn across his forehead, with a six-inch horn sprouting from above each eyebrow. His normally tanned skin was now a forest green and leathery. Red hair covered his arms and most of his back.

Moving down, the strange traits continued. His legs had scales like a lizard's, ending in two feet that sported an eagle's talons. Mirajane would have recognized it on the spot, had she been present. Elfman had become a man-sized replica of the Beast. However, where his eyes had once been glowing purple, overwhelmed by bloodlust, they were calm…they were human. Where fangs had once been bared at his own family, compared to whom he considered his own life inconsequential, there was a human mouth set in a tight frown. Where the Beast once stood as master, it was now banished, its considerable strength assimilated by Elfman, Fairy Tail mage.

Perhaps the most astonishing things of all, however, was Elfman's condition. All of his injuries remained, but they didn't seem to be affecting him at all. Elfman was numb to the pain.

He held up a hand in front of his face, then shook his head. "I don't even know what to call this Take Over."

The mages in the room stood stock still, too shocked and afraid to move or speak.

Clawed fingers closed into fists the size of sledgehammer heads. "I don't have time for you guys," Elfman said. "Where's Sol?"

Finally breaking free of their trance, the mages gathered at the door. The man with the chain stood front-and-center.

"You…you ain't getting past us, you freak!"

Despite his previous statement, Elfman was still pissed at these guys; _extremely_ pissed. Mere moments after the poor shithead's declaration, he and his pals were lying on what had used to be a clean, tiled floor. Now, it was cracked, blood-smeared, and had craters in several places.

When the last mage hit the wall, Elfman was already on the staircase, in hot pursuit of Sol. "You won't touch them…I'll tear you to pieces before I let that happen!"

He bolted up the stairways, running on all fours. Sol had had almost three minutes to move away, but Elfman was pushing 25 miles per hour. Eventually, he picked up the light _tap-tap_ of footsteps, and he turned left to find himself right behind the earth Element Four.

Sol turned around to catch a kick to the face that sent him crashing into a nearby wall hard enough to leave a crater in the stone.

Elfman's feral snarl turned into a cruel grin. "Payback's a bitch, huh?"

Sol dropped to his knees, holding his broken and bleeding nose. "I won eben asg ow yoo god ear or ow yoo beegame dad (I won't even ask how you got here or how you became that). I'll jusd GILL YOO (I'll just KILL YOU)!"

Sol jumped to his feet and spun his hands around in a twister-like motion. "_Sable Dance!_ A massive sandstorm encompassed Elfman, but it was quickly proven futile as the titanic mage simply forced his way out of it, spitting sand out of his mouth.

He cracked his knuckles as the mini-sandstorm faded. "Come on, butt-muncher Sol. That all you got?"

Sol broke into a panicked sweat. This could _not _be the same mage he'd fought just minutes before. He had utterly destroyed this man, crushed him so thoroughly that weeks of recovery would've been necessary even if he had _not _ordered his men to break the man beyond repair. It was not _possible_. Logic would not allow it.

Beyond that, he was Phantom Lord mage. He was a member of the most powerful guild in Fiore. They had the most members of any guild by a long shot, but he would prove that they had the best as well. Sol stood tall. He was the _best_. He was _better _than some Fairy Tail washout. He was _more _than Elfman. Ghosts _devoured_ Fairies.

He closed his hands into fists and thrust them both forward, one on top of the other, feeling his magic tug on the Earth as it always had, but much harder than it ever had. His sandy-brown magic seal encircled his wrists.

He spat out the globs of blood from his mouth that had strangled his speech. "I have no idea how you obtained this strength, non, non, non. However, I cannot lose! _Platre Sonata!_"

A grinding noise of stone compressing erupted as an enormous fist blasted from Sol's magic seal, headed straight for Elfman. The Take Over mage charged into it with a roar, slamming his hands into the spell to stop its advance. Cracks started emanating on the stone knuckles in a spider web pattern from Elfman's palms.

"WHAT ARE YOU FIGHTING FOR?!" he demanded, straining against the spell.

The cracks deepened. Sol ground his teeth together with the effort.

"I FIGHT FOR MY GUILD, FOR MY SISTERS, FOR MY PRIDE AS A MAN!" Elfman declared, bracing his legs and pushing as hard as he could. "I _WON'T_ LOSE!"

The fist collapsed into itself, Sol's magic seal shattered, and Elfman burst through, his left arm drawn back.

"NO MATTER WHAT, YOU'LL _NEVER_ BE STRONGER THAN FAIRY TAIL!"

Let no one ever deny that Elfman Strauss could through one crazy motherfucker of a punch. Sol would live to tell of how a single left hook had sent him through three walls, leaving him with a fractured spine and a severely damaged ego, among other things.

Turning back to his usual appearance, Elfman pounded a fist over his heart. "Nee-chan…I did it."

***dattebayo***

Gray pulled his hand away and released his magic. The enormous tower of ice crystals vaporized, freeing the girl trapped inside. Juvia Lockser collapsed, exhausted.

Gray held his re-opened stomach wound, undoing his shirt. Once he got it off his shoulders, he wrapped it around his waist in a makeshift bandage, the pristine white cloth being stained red. He panted, bracing his hands on his knees. Severe burns coated his body, and a Water Slicer had scored his left quadriceps muscle. As it was, the cut still bled terribly. His hands shaking, Gray cut off the lower half of his pant leg, tore it into two long strips, and knotted it tightly around his thigh.

He let out a final shaky breath before falling on his rump in the most dignified manner he could manage. He peered at Juvia through on eye, the other closed, his forehead resting on his kneecap.

"You don't seem like a bad person," he noted. "Why go along with this?"

Juvia was just as worse for wear as her opponent. Her black Cossack hat had been long since lost, and her clothes had been torn, but little enough that her modesty had been preserved. The worst of it all was that she was terribly cold, awfully cold. So cold she couldn't move. If she didn't know better, the water mage would've sworn that the fight had given her frostbite. She was sitting against the stone wall, hugging her knees to her chest.

She shook her head. "Juvia is a Phantom mage. She had orders."

Gray rolled his single open eye. "Don't give me that. It's bullcrap and we both know it." Opening both eyes, he narrowed them on the blue-haired girl. "I don't forgive people who mess with my nakama, no matter who they are. You knew this was wrong. I could see it in your eyes." His eyes were hard, as cold as the magic he wielded.

Juvia looked away, unwilling to meet his gaze.

"Why?" he continued. "Why the _fuck _is every Phantom mage except Naruto and Gajeel all up in arms against Fairy Tail? To kidnap someone? To start a war? TO TRY AND KILL US?!" As he shouted the last part, Gray stood, shaking with the effort, fists clenched tightly at his sides.

"It doesn't make _sense_," he growled. "Tell me _why_."

Juvia was still shivering, but now she couldn't tell whether it was because of the lingering effects of being repeatedly frozen within his ice before accepting defeat, or because of the wildly intense gaze fixed directly on her. She felt…_shaken_, so shaken that she wasn't able to answer right away.

"M-many of the mages that come here are…cowardly. Phantom attracts recruits because of its size, not...quality. Fairy Tail is the only guild that truly contests for Phantom's ranking. Juvia's guildmates felt…threatened. They were happy to go to war with Fairy Tail."

Gray's anger did not dim. In fact, the temperature dropped to almost arctic levels, forcing Juvia to hug herself yet tighter. She was so confused. This man defeated her, then started a conversation with her, and now she felt as if he might kill her. Frost started appearing on the stone, and Juvia felt herself getting progressively colder. _So _this _is an ice mage…it's terrifying_. _To freeze the very landscape. To be able to freeze _Juvia_… _She used what little power she had left to increase her body temperature and avoid being turned into an ice sculpture.

"That's not an answer. The grunts I'll buy. What about you guys, the Element Four? The other higher-ups? Why the hell would you go along with this?"

Juvia twiddled her thumbs nervously. "Juvia can't speak for the others, but she…Juvia…that is to say…" she trailed off, horrendously embarrassed and confused.

Gray sighed, his tone immensely different from the harsh-edged anger of before. He sat down again, next to her this time. "Look, I'm not gonna go all…psycho or anything. I just wanna know the deal here. Breathe, you know? Take your time."

The chill in the air receded a little. Juvia felt the warmth return to her limbs. She was used to being both cold and wet. Her body _was _composed of water, after all. However, the complete lack of any heat at all brought on by the Fairy Tail mage's wrath had been more than she could take. She rubbed her limbs anxiously and took a deep breath as she'd been bidden.

"Juvia…Juvia is a rain woman. Everywhere Juvia went, she was different. She was separate. All that ever mattered was that Juvia brought the rain, and rain is sad. It's gloomy. No one wanted the rain, no one wanted Juvia. She was always alone." She didn't understand why she was pouring out her heart to this man. This strange man who defeated her, had pushed her to the brink of fear with his rage alone, this man who wasn't afraid of her rain. It just felt…right. She wanted to tell someone what pained her, to vent her sorrows. Gray just sat and listened, his previously enraged face now exhibiting a calm understanding.

"Phantom was the only place Juvia ever belonged…how could she betray them?" the girl whimpered pitiably, not bothering to hold back the solitary tear falling from her eye.

Gray looked up into the sky, the raindrops splattering on his pale skin. "Look, I understand," he eventually said. "That's how almost all of Fairy Tail is. We've all got problems, you know?"

Juvia snorted bitterly. "Do you cause everyone's moods to darken with just your presence?"

Gray hung his head. The corners of his mouth turned upwards in a small smile. "I strip subconsciously. Elfman uses the word 'man' at least twice in every sentence, Gramps is a huge perv, Cana is a raging alcoholic, Loke's a womanizer, Natsu is the biggest dumbass in Fiore, Erza has an armor complex, Nab's a lazyass, the list goes _on _and _on_. A little bit of water is nothing."

It was still cold, but his words filled Juvia with warmth. The rain slowed.

"I've met way weirder people than you," Gray continued. "I can't say if I'd have done the same, but I feel where you're coming from. And it looks like I was right; you aren't really a bad person."

The rain slowed even further.

"Look," he sighed. "I don't usually like getting all deep and stuff, but to be frank, Jose's an asshole and a half, and this guild is finished."

Juvia's eyes widened.

Gray stood. "We brought some scary people in here. Believe me; you guys are not winning this. No way in hell. We don't know how to lose." He held out a hand to her. "I don't know what your plans are after this, but you deserve way better than Phantom Lord."

Juvia blinked, still trying to get the blood flowing in her limbs. "Who…who are you?"

Gray kept his hand out. "Gray. Gray Fullbuster."

The rain stopped. Sunlight touched Juvia's face for the first time since she was a little girl. She took the hand offered to her.

"Thank you…Gray-sama."

Gray sweatdropped. "Sama?"

***dattebayo***

The phrase "the bigger they are, the harder they fall" was proving itself to be the very definition of ironic as Aria floated on the air, hands clasped together.

Gajeel ground his teeth as the giant drifted above his head, then growled and turned his arms into a pair of enormous iron spearheads. He pulled them back, then thrust upward. "_Iron Dragon's Spear: Demon Logs!_"

The dull green energy lances surged towards Aria, who unclasped his hands and weaved them through the air in a complex pattern. Before the Iron Dragon Slayer's spears could reach him, they were intercepted by a wind barrier invisible to the eyes.

"Damnit, stop fucking floating!" Gajeel yelled. "FIGHT ME!"

Aria shook his head, tears falling from his blindfolded eyes. "I think not. I am no match for you in sheer power. We both know this." The Airspace wielder fluttered down the walkway, firing off small pockets of compressed air from is hands.

Gajeel bolted after him, shrugging off the wind bullets. All they were doing was stinging him. As the Dragon Slayer of Iron, his skin was naturally as tough as chain mail. It would take more than Aria's little balloons to hurt him.

"All you can do is run away!" he taunted. "You might be big but you don't got the balls to back it up! Disproportional, big guy?!"

Aria visually stiffened at the insult and slowed for a moment, allowing Gajeel to get closer. _Gihihi, gotcha, bitch!_

Gajeel threw his head back then flung it forward, making his thick black hair flip off of his back and over. "_Iron Dragon's Harpoon!_"

The dragon mage's hair turned into a thick, braided iron cable with a wicked quartet of barbs at the spiked tip. Aria cried out in pain as the spike punched through his shoulder blade to emerge from his left pectoral. "Guh…" he gasped, winded. He grabbed at the spike, but before he could even get a grip on it, Gajeel took hold of the cable with both of his leather-gloved hands, and tugged down, hard.

"You're mine, fatass!" he roared triumphantly as he slammed Aria into the floor; _hard_. The spiked cable turned back into hair, which quickly retracted to its normal length. He brushed the strands out of his face, advancing towards the bleeding giant.

"C'mon, Aria, we both know you ain't done yet." His face broke out into a cruel smile, and his trademark laugh rang out. Before he got very far, however, a massive wall of wind crashed into him, sending him back over the stone walkway, skipping like a stone over water, completely helpless to catch himself.

After what seemed like a full minute, he crashed into a pillar, halting his unwilling locomotion. After a couple of failed attempts, he managed to get to his feet, a thin trail of blood coming from his forehead to trail between his eyes and drip down from his chin. He absentmindedly licked at the crimson liquid.

Gajeel turned his eyes on the man who had sent him flying and had to restrain himself from stepping back on instinct. Aria had torn the bandages off his eyes, revealing his strangle pupil-less magenta irises that looked like quartered circles.

He drew himself up to his full height of almost ten feet. "I am through holding back, Gajeel."

Black Steel popped his knuckles. "Good." He turned his left arm into a club and extended it straight at Aria's face, only for the blow to hit air.

Before Gajeel could react, Aria appeared behind him in a shimmer of air. Gajeel turned his head, eyes widening.

Aria held out his hands, ignoring the bleeding hole through his chest. "You are overconfident."

Gajeel's cheeks puffed out. "_Iron Dragon's…_"

Aria's purple magic seal appeared. "_Eradication_!"

Before he could unleash the roar, Gajeel was thrown back, battered on all sides by pockets of air he couldn't see. Aria's earlier attacks had been like bee stings at the very worst, but these felt like wrecking balls. Gajeel was helpless to resist as he was beaten like a heavy bag under a boxer in a training session. He careened through the air, spitting blood. Before he hit the ground, however, he changed his arm into a sword and slammed it into the floor, grinding to a halt.

Without another word, he charged, his blade striking sparks off the stone floor as he neared his quarry. Aria just stood there, completely still. With a roar, Gajeel swung his sword into a forehand strike powerful enough to cleave a pillar in two, only for Aria to disappear again.

Gajeel ground his fangs together, something he found he was doing a lot of that day. "Grr, stop mocking me!"

Aria's voice rang off the walls, its source unseen. "Your lack of finesse mocks you. I have told that you outclass me in power. That is true, but your attacks lack skill or thought." The voice grew louder. Gajeel snarled in anger. He felt the air become thinner. It was difficult to breathe. "I am the strongest of the Elements, Aria of the Heavens! You are in my territory, dragon!"

Aria materialized in front of him, his eyes wild.

"My Airspace magic is of unlimited potential. Here, I control _everything_." Gajeel charged again, this time with bare fists. He wasn't going out like this. _Control my fist through your skull, jackass!_

Suddenly, the gravity tripled, and Gajeel was slammed into the floor before he could carry out his vicious intentions. "I control the gravity," Aria said. The air thinned, leaving the Dragon Slayer to grip his throat, gulping desperately for air which would not come. "I control the oxygen levels." The giant's eyes glowed, and he held his hands out. Gajeel's eyes rolled back into his head. His gut constricted. Every muscle in his body tightened in absolute agony. "I control whether your mortal life is extinguished or not. Your passing is truly, truly, sorrowful, but this is goodbye, Gajeel. _Zero._"

The air around Gajeel flashed a dull purple, illuminating and revealing the once-invisible cubic airspace cage he was trapped in. Then, almost as soon as it began, the glow faded and the cage disappeared in a wisp. Aria had sprung back with a yelp, blood spurting from a hole in his right foot. Then a dragon club smashed into his face, hurling him into the wall behind him. Where he had stood but a second before, Gajeel's harpoon was retracting back into a hole in the tile.

"Look, fatass," he rasped, slowly getting to his feet. "You aren'tstopping me. _No one _can stop me."

Gajeel was a simple man. He only truly enjoyed a few things; among them drinking, fighting, teasing, eating, and sleeping. As long as he could do all that, he was generally content, in other words, as close to genuinely happy as he'd ever be, because 98% of the time he was either scowling or laughing like a madman.

Considering that happiness is so vague and unlikely, it's an easy deduction that Gajeel spends a lot of time on the other end of the emotional spectrum. You remember the list? Okay, well those are things that piss Gajeel off, not things that make him actually angry. If you see Gajeel Redfox angry; really, truly _angry_, chances are that a hospital bed is all you'll be seeing for a few months afterwards, and that's if you can still see at all.

Phantom Lord was okay. He didn't like it, but he didn't dislike it either. It had booze and jobs, and that was that. He'd never liked Jose, in fact he had hated the man before the war. Now he absolutely _loathed _him. Just thinking of Jose made the Dragon Slayer livid beyond comprehension. Jose—and by extension, the guild he led—had betrayed him. He had allowed himself to place just a little bit of trust in Phantom Lord, had allowed himself feel some security within it, and it had spat in his face and thrown him aside. Jose had manipulated him, made him a scapegoat, and then discarded him.

His trademark iron scales covering his skin, Gajeel growled. Not his usual hissing growl of warning or mild anger, but a full, bestial, throaty promise of unimaginable pain. "I swore to make that prick Jose whimper like the bitch he is." As the scales reached his fingertips, his nails extended, becoming iron claws. "You fight for him and you earn the same treatment."

Aria tried to stand, but fell, clutching his punctured foot.

Gajeel shot forward in a flash of metal. "You're done!"

Aria raised his hands and tried to fire off a spell, eyes gleaming, but was stopped by the unfortunate circumstance of Gajeel's claws nailing his arms to the wall. He cried out in agony, speared through the crooks of his elbows by a clawed knife hand on each side. He kept screaming his wails of pain and terror until Gajeel's iron-scaled forehead came down on his skull with a resounding _clang_. Aria slumped, a nasty bruise forming on the crown of his head.

Gajeel tensed, straining. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. "_Iron Dragon's Ro…_" he began, but quickly cut himself off, turning away from the unconscious man.

Gajeel ripped his hands free with a wet _shlick_. His scales receded. His face was contorted into a hideous mask of rage. Gajeel was not an unattractive man, but nor was he exceptionally handsome. Under the weight of his emotions, however, his high cheekbones, pointed chin, and angular jawline were _ugly_. "You're gonna have the mother of all headaches when ya wake up," he muttered. "But hey, in a few years you might be able to move your fucking arms again." His tone was unbearably cold, but quiet, almost a whisper. It had dropped to an eerie rasp, like metal scraping over metal. It was resigned frustration.

He cursed his growing conscience. He cursed Naruto and Tori for softening his heart. He cursed the fact that he wasn't as cold and brutal as the metal he fought with, not anymore. He cursed the fact that he couldn't bring himself to kill someone who had tried to kill him. Gajeel stalked away, nursing his injuries, without another thought for the bleeding Airspace wielder behind him.

***dattebayo***

Macao Conbolt hadn't had this much fun in years. He was by no means an old man, only 36 years of age, but he had still lost a step compared to Fairy Tail's up-and-coming crowd of young mages. Now, though, he was cutting loose. He couldn't rid himself of the enormous grin that split his face from ear to ear, nor could he stop himself from laughing in sheer glee as he and Totomaru weaved fire spells all around each other, trying to break through skill and defense to end the battle.

Macao whipped his arms through the air, his fingers twitching. Then, he clapped his hands together, pointing his fingers at his opponent. "_Purple Fracture!_" he declared. A flicker of Purple Flare gathered between his hands before blasting out in a ten-foot tall blade of flame, shattering the cobblestone.

Totomaru's eyes widened in fear as the blast approached him, but he quickly raised his hands and activated his pyrokinesis, making the fire swing harmlessly to his right.

Macao's eyes narrowed. _Now I've got you! _He pulled his arms in, fists held tight at his sides, tugging on his magic like it was a pair of ropes clenched in his fists.

Totomaru had charged, sword drawn, when he was struck from behind by the same spell he had just redirected. The Purple Flare burned straight through his coat and his wire-mesh armor to burn through his skin and cauterize the muscle. Since his nerves had been burned, he felt no pain, and was able to get to his feet, though he had lost his sword.

Macao smirked. "Sorry, kid, but I've got your number."

Totomaru snarled and held his hands in front of his face, the first two fingers of each extended. "_Blue Fire!_"

A mid-sized burst of cold flame made its way to Macao. He dispelled it with a lazy flick of his wrist and a small blast of fire.

He shook his head. "This is what passes for S-class these days?" he wondered aloud, tapping a lone forefinger to his stubbly chin.

Totomaru charged him, hurling fires of different colors. Macao formed a set of many-tailed whips of flame on each hands, the swung them across his body, batting the many-colored flames away, save for an orange, sickly-smelling one that caught his shoulder, burning away his jacket and the shirt beneath it, but not doing much damage to the flesh itself. The acrid stench, however, stung Macao's nose.

Totomaru threw both of his hands in front of him. "_Rainbow Fi-_" he began, only to have his older opponent wrap a whip of flame around each wrist and each ankle, then string him up like a scarecrow.

"You're full of hot air," Macao declared, a smile on his face. He twisted his hand gracefully, making his prisoner spin as if he was on a wheel. When the young mage stopped rotating, his face had turned a rather sickly shade of green, and his eyes were boggling around in his sockets.

"You see, there are three major problems with your fighting style," Macao continued, ignoring Totomaru's indignant glare. If the young ninja-imitator was not afraid that opening his mouth to speak would have resulted in immediate and violent regurgitation, he would have been cursing his head off at the moment.

Macao held up three fingers and folded down one of them, holding his opponent tightly bound with the other hand. "First, your pyrokin-whatever-the-heck-it-is isn't subconscious. You say you have complete control over all fire, but there are conditions. You need to have it in your line of sight, and you need to move your hands. No power is absolute, kid."

Another finger went down. "Second, you use that power as a crutch. Your fire's lukewarm."

Totomaru, finally confident in his control of his gag reflex, shouted, "Shut it, old man! What do you know?"

Macao laughed. "I've been doing this for about as long as you've been alive, pal. I've been fighting fire mages my whole life. You lack power. Hell, you're just a candle compared to Natsu when he's in a _good _mood."

Totomaru strained against his bonds. Macao _clicked _his tongue and shook his head, triumphant grin still in place. "I wouldn't if I were you. All I have to do is turn up the heat and I burn your wrists straight to the bone."

"Third problem, you're cocky. You've got no finesse, no real skill," he finished.

Totomaru seethed. "The minute you let me go, you geezer, I'm gonna turn you into charcoal with your own fire, ya got that?"

"And we're wrong again," the veteran chimed. "You aren't doing anything further in this battle. As a good senior to all these brats, it's my job to shield them from cocky jackasses such as yourself." With that, the purple ropes holding Totomaru tensed up before flinging the screaming Element Four into the lake.

Macao took a deep breath. He had completely outclassed Totomaru in skill, but stamina had never been his strong suit, something that had worsened with age. After a moment to breathe he turned his hands to the rest of the Phantom mages, his purple seal encasing his wrists.

**Yo, guys, wassup?**

**Sorry that took so long. I thought I'd be done a week ago, but then my laptop was broken, and I got sick, and I got a vacation from work and goofed off for three days. You know how it goes!**

**Anyways, as to the fights. I couldn't think of a way to ****_not _****make Gray and Juvia's bout a really shitty repeat of what happened in canon, so I decided to do the aftermath instead. If I do say so, I think I did a pretty sweet job with that. Mirajane was ****_not _****captured by Phantom Lord, btw.**

**Elfman's transformation is not his usual full-body take over. It's more of a hybridization o The Beast's Body and his own. More on that to come.**

**I don't have anything to say about Gajeel and Aria, really.**

**No, Totomaru is not weak. However, Macao is a fire mage with double his experience. He outwitted and outmaneuvered him, plain and simple. Yeah, Macao's a badass. Why? Because I like him.**

**Finally, since some guy decided to say in an unsigned review that this is more like an OC in Fairy Tail than a proper crossover (I urge you guys to sign your reviews), let me clarify that there WILL be a connection established with the Narutoverse later! (yes, you read right.) Again, though, ****_later_****. Wait for it. Suffice to say, the Death God from the prologue will likely be making a reappearance.**

**And, as always…**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

**Please.**


	12. Dethrone the Ghost King

**What be UP my delightful cheezits?! So, is everyone good and pissed at Jose? You are? Good. Read and be amused.**

Myths and legends speak of catastrophic events that shake the world. We tell tales of monsters with incomprehensible strength, who cause the sky to fall and the earth to split, only to reform it again, greater than it was before. We speak of entities so beyond us that they push the line between mortal and…well, otherwise. Power. Pure, unadulterated _power_.

In the realm of Earthland, select mages work towards that realm of capability. The best representation is the Ten Wizard Saints. Jose Porla had been among their number for about a decade. Gex does not hold one of the badges, but his power speaks for itself. If any two men are able to make the sky darken with thunderclouds, a lake to churn, and the atmosphere itself to surge with power, it is these two.

***dattebayo***

Having finally recovered from her guild mark's erasing, Tori flew into Phantom Lord, looking desperately for her partner. She found him walking up a flight of stairs, nursing various injuries.

Our favorite blonde hit the floor with a loud "oompf!" as his cat cannoned into his chest. He blinked, dazed, then asked, "Tori?"

She sniffled. "I'm sorry. I…I couldn't help."

Naruto rubbed her head gently. "Don't do that to yourself. It's my fault." He hugged his partner to his chest and got up. "_I'm _sorry I couldn't protect you. I promise it'll never happen again, 'kay?"

She sniffled again, taking comfort in Naruto's arms. "You won, right?"

Naruto pumped a fist in the air dramatically, a cocky grin splitting his face. "Lemme tell you what I did, Tori: I found some asses to kick, and being the thorough guy that I am, decided to leave not a single one of those asses _un_kicked."

She just looked at him like he was stupid. "Dummy."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "Wha…but…oh nothing is good enough or you!"

Naruto continued grumbling until they reached the top of the stairs. Gajeel was there waiting for them.

"Good to see you're alright, furball," he said with a friendly enough nod.

"Hi, scrap heap!" she greeted enthusiastically. Gajeel had gotten used to the nickname, however, and didn't rise to the bait. God, that cat was a little devil when she wanted to be.

He turned his gaze to Naruto. "Who'd you fight?"

Naruto shrugged. "Some guy named Ostic Lunga. I kicked his ass. Apparently a subdivision or two got in here."

Tori facepawed. "You guys should've thought of that!"

Gajeel grunted in acknowledgement of that statement. "It explains the extra grunts we had to smash through, anyway. I got Aria. He's bleeding all over the floor back there." He jerked a thumb behind him. "You seen the fairies?"

Naruto should his head. "No. I looked for Elfman, but he must've taken his fight somewhere else or left. I tell ya though, he left a bunch of guys in a bloody heap. I still smell them, though, They're around here."

Gajeel stood up and was about to respond, but just as he opened his mouth, a loud _crash _shook the fortress, and both young men almost lost their balance. Tori jumped off of Naruto's shoulder and began hovering on her wings.

A car-sized lump of brick, glass, and building mortar fell past them to splash into the lake.

Gajeel scratched his head. "Geez, that old man's really going for it, ain't he?"

Naruto nodded, grinning. "Just be glad we're down here and not up _there_."

***dattebayo***

Gex experimentally flexed his muscles for just about the umpteenth time that day. He hadn't really gone all out for about a decade, and man did it feel _good _to cut loose.

Looking up at the bartender from his place on the roof of building's second level, Jose grimaced as brick and stone crumbled around him. "You really are a brute of a man, aren't you?"

"I'd rather be a brute than a devil like you," Gex retorted before disappearing in a sharp _crack_, the sound barrier shattering under the man's speed.

Jose threw his arms out to his sides, creating several snakelike wisps of ghost that encircled his body protectively. Just as his guard was completed, there was a sudden w_hoosh _of rushing air to his right, accompanied by a cloud of dust being thrown up. If the Wizard Saint had to guess, he'd assume that Gex's leg had missed him by mere inches, and not by accident. A millisecond later, there was a similar rush of air to his left. Before Jose could even turn his head, a heavy boot dissipated the ghosts and crashed into his side. _Shit…a feint._

The ghost mage was sent flying over the roof, skidding painfully on his back over the tiles. As he reached the edge, he grasped desperately at the iron gutter, but his fingers failed him and he tumbled over the edge. He struggled to regain his balance and began sliding down the almost sheer surface on the soles of his boots, almost like a snowboarder struggling to navigate a steep slope. As the lake below got closer and closer, Jose crouched low and tucked in his arms behind him, accelerating his descent. As he neared the bottom of the building, however, Gex materialized next to him, sporting a grin that would have sent a lesser man crying for his mommy.

Gex gave the brick surface a light tap with his heel, pushing himself off of the building. "See ya at the bottom," he chirped, giving a lazy two-fingered salute with one hand, the other snugly tucked into his pocket.

Just as the biker disappeared again, Jose noticed the surface beneath him cracking, starting from the spot where Gex's foot had hit it. He let out a curse as his foothold crumbled, and he began falling end over end towards the lake. With a harsh grunt of effort, he was able to right himself and get his hands underneath him.

**"_Infernal Wings!" _**he screamed. A screeching spectral eagle materialized underneath Jose, carrying him down to the water. It flew as surely as a true bird would, but it lacked flesh, feather, and tendon, existing as simply a skeletal imitation—a creature banished to the pits of torment, brought back only to serve its master's call. The ghost mage and his avian familiar fell into line next to Gex, who was dashing over the surface, wet, clear spray kicking up as his feet churned the water, so quickly that they were naught but blurs to Jose's eyes.

"You were faster ten years ago," Jose said, half as an observation and half as a taunt. Then, he raised his hand. A wisp-like skull erupted from the tip of each finger, shooting straight for Gex with mouths open. With reflexes borne of years of experience, Gex weaved around the attacks, still racing over the waves. Then he laughed, and the sound was chilling. Power began wafting off the man, a dull, green haze that shadowed his face and encased his body. Jose responded with his own power, emitting a purple-black shroud of energy that stank like death and let off eerie giggles like a clown in a horror film. Clouds gathered, shading the combatants. Lightning began striking around them.

"What, this? This is just some joggin'. You want fast, ghost shit?" The fine spray increased to a raging froth that lapped at Jose's eagle's wings, causing it to screech even louder. Then the sound barrier broke again in an even louder _crack _than before, and Gex disappeared. His voice echoed from all around this time, deeper yet clearer, and eternally loud. It boomed from all sides, as if carried by the air itself. "Oh, I'll give ya _fast_."

There was another _crack_. **"_Ignición!_"** The ghostly eagle's right wing was ripped off before its rider knew what was happening. Its remaining parts: torso, legs, skull, and remaining wing disintegrated with a scream so shrill it made Jose's ears ring. Phantom's leader tumbled towards the water, cursing, but before he broke the surf, a calloused hand caught him by the cape.

"Oh, no you don't. Can't have ya drownin' on me yet!" With that, Gex started spinning, pivoting on a single foot like a human top. The cape's brooch cut into Jose's neck, strangling him until the fastenings snapped under the pressure and the mage came loose from his garment. Jose flew over the lake, towards the rough expanse of hills that bordered Magnolia. He landed hard, though the grass cushioned his fall. Gex materialized in front of him, tossing the expensive purple cape into the wind. Finally on solid ground again, Jose looked down to his boots, only to see that sliding down the building had melted the rubber soles and ruined the battle-proven footwear. He grit his teeth in anger. Gex was clearly more powerful than he'd been last time, but he was still Jose Porla, damnit! He would _not _be toyed with!

"Don't matter who you are," Gex growled, as if reading the fuming guild master's thoughts. "No matter yer status or skill, ya can't change the fact that I hit more'n ten times as fast as you do."

Jose's eyes burned with unrestrained fury. "Don't joke with me!" He threw his arms out. **_"Infernal Hunters!"_ **he roared. The air shimmered briefly before revealing more ghostly familiars—this time a trio of hellhounds. Great, hulking, three-headed, salivating skeletal monsters, all with teeth bared at Gex. As they advanced, Jose weaved his hands through the air, wisps of ghost following his fingers.

Gex smashed through the first hound's forelegs in an almost instantaneous rush, dropping it to the ground. Then he immediately shot up, rocketing through the ribcage and tearing through its spine as if it was mere plaster. _**"Doble Ignición!"** _What was left of the beast disintegrated immediately.

Jose slammed his hands together. **_"Palace of the Devil!" _**he barked, ghost energy flowing from his hands to surround him, Gex, and the two remaining hellhounds. All the combatants were soon caged inside an ethereal cage of darkness magic. It was windowless, only the circumference of a large room, but with a ceiling at least 50 feet high. Jose had wrapped them in a cocoon of ghosts, where snarling skulls covered every inch of the walls.

Gex stopped moving for a moment to look at his new surroundings. He suddenly felt weak. His magic power was being sucked away. _No fuckin' way…. _"You didn't drug me last time we fought," he growled. "It was this spell that did it, right?"

Jose smiled. "Yes," he leered, "it was." His hounds edged closer to the God Leg mage, snarling.

Gex ground his teeth together. It was a good thing his power had increased some since back then, otherwise his magic would have been drained to zilch by now. "Looks like I can't move too much, either," he surmised, eliciting an even smugger smirk from his opponent. "Meh, I get tunnel vision even when I'm not breakin' the sound barrier anyway. My body's a weapon, Jose." a hound snapped at his head with three sets of jaws, and, faster than a striking snake, he dodged, then grabbed the middle head by the ears and ripped it off, then hurled it at Jose, while the now-two-headed familiar flailed around in confusion. Jose dodged the snarling set of teeth with ease, but was surprised by Gex's continued willingness to fight. "I don't need to outrun ya to kill ya."

Gex leaped on top of the cerberus' neck and punched through each of the remaining heads, killing it completely, then knocked the beast into the wall with a single kick. It disintegrated, but only after the cage had gained a small tear. It was just a tiny rip, but it had definitely weakened the chamber. As the remaining hound ran at him, barking, he kicked it under the middle jaw, shutting its mouth and sending it careening headfirst into the ceiling. It stuck there, quivering, before fading away.

Jose yelled and fired off a twister of ghost energy from his palms, intent on ending the fight then and there. Gex jumped over it, then braced his hands on the ceiling. "Sorry, you necrophiliac," he jeered, "but I'm bringin' the motherfuckin' house down!" With that, he pushed off the ceiling and the sound barrier broke yet again. Gex began rocketing off the walls, ceiling, and ground like a supersonic human rubber ball. **_"Infinito Ignición!"_**

Jose conjured an enormous ghost to guard himself, but he needn't have worried. True to his word, Gex was bringing down the house and nothing more. His magic power's decrease was accelerated each time he made contact with the magical cage, but if it stayed up he was definitely screwed, so he'd break it. After almost a full thirty seconds of punishment, the barrier was destroyed. It gurgled as it collapsed the skulls that comprised its walls choking and spluttering as the magic holding them together was overwhelmed.

Gex landed with a triumphant but pained smile. He'd stopped his magic power from being sucked away, but he was too spent to avoid Jose's signature spell drilling him in the torso.

**"_Dead Wave!"_**

Gex's body carved a trench into the ground as he was hurled back. When he finally stopped grinding into the dirt, he pulled his arms over his bleeding stomach, grinding his teeth with the pain. Jose's magic hadn't burned, cut, or crushed. The ghosts had literally _eaten _into his abdominal and pectoral muscles. Flesh was gnawed, oozing blood like a bitten pastry.

"You're just a God Leg user," Jose panted. "No matter how far you push it, that magic is only good for making you fast, nothing more. You can't beat me, Gex."

Gex stood to face the guild master. His leather jacket was all but ruined. Jose's last attack had ripped one side of it to shreds. He tossed the rest to the side, then said, "I told ya, ghost shit—my body's a weapon. _Real _God Leg is more than just speed." His eyes narrowed, his green magic seal appeared beneath his feet, and his right leg crossed his body. Jose's eyes widened.

**"_Choque Sónico!" _**The concussive vacuum created by Gex's roundhouse slammed in Jose's gut with horrifying force, ripping open his coat and tearing into his belly. Unable to dodge, Jose hopped back to lessen the force of the impact. It was the only thing that kept him from being messily ripped in two. Before he could do a thing further, Gex appeared in front of him, crouched, with both fists drawn back.

**"_Metralleta Sónica!"_** the man roared as he began firing punch after flesh-pulverizing punch into Jose's already-bleeding ribcage. The Wizard Saint spat blood as his torso was rhythmically beaten like a drum, with each set of knuckles delivering so much force that they outlined themselves on the other side of his body. Seconds after the pummeling began, Gex landed a brutal uppercut to the large chin of his opponent, sending Jose into the air.

As Jose was sent skywards, Gex started dashing around in a circle, shredding the dirt under his feet until there was a crater beneath him, and all he was running on was air and his own magic power. The sound escalated from the gust of a strong wind to the electric whirring of a buzz saw. Jose was surprised to see that gravity was failing to bring him down, and looked around himself. Any exclamations of surprise or anger died inside his throat as he was made fully aware of the reason for the suspension of the laws of physics. Around him was an omnidirectional wall of swirling green air; a thrashing, magic-fueled funnel cloud that connected the heavens and the Earth. Gex was repeatedly tracing his circle at such a violent speed that he had created a goddamned _tornado_. Jose began to feel the wind tearing at cloth and flesh alike; opening up small cuts all over his body.

The speed demon's declaration came long and loud over even the roar of the tempestuous monstrosity he had created. **_"ENROSACADA DEL REY SERPIENTE!"_**

Ignoring the constant punishment the infinite, small vacuum waves were inflicting on his body, Jose fired off several blasts of purple energy from his hands, which had no effect on the tornado circling him. All the while, the wind held him in place at the center of the twister: the eye of the storm.

"I warned ya." Gex's voice was soft, almost like a whisper, but it carried itself to Jose's ears regardless. The ghost mage whipped his head up so quickly that his neck cracked. Gex was looking straight down at him from the top of the tornado, arms and legs crossed, oblivious to the wounds that would have quickly finished a lesser man.

"Physically, us Quetzacos men are the most dangerous mages alive. 'Course Sarusuke ain't near that level, so I'm really the only one that counts, but ya get the point." He held up three fingers and began counting them off. "We're faster than ya." One. "Stronger than ya." Two. "_Way _crazier than ya." Three. His fist clenched, then came to rest at his side, knuckles bone-white.

Green energy began coalescing around his body. "I'm endin' this, Jose!" The sound barrier shattered yet again, this time in an all-consuming _BOOM _would send ordinary men to their knees, clutching their eardrums in abject agony. Shockwaves permeated the air as Gex sped downwards, the vibrant green hue surrounding migrated to his foot, shaping itself into a ten-foot lance of energy.

Jose called upon his last reserves of power. "I'm not losing to the likes of you!" A massive horned skull formed over his right fist. Unlike his usual ghosts, this one was pitch-black with a vibrant magenta tint and gleaming magenta eyes. Jose leveled it at Gex's incoming form, his eyes burning with unrestrained rage. "I said: I am not losing…to the likes…OF _YOU_!"

Gex spun and released the energy spear from his foot with a mighty kick, and Jose's skull parted its teeth and unleashed a gigantic blast of screaming violet darkness magic.

**"_COLMILLO DEL REY SERPIENTE!"_**

**"_HELLGATE CANNON!"_**

When the two attacks collided, blinding light enveloped the casters, cutting them off from the eyes of all others.

***dattebayo***

Gajeel, Naruto, and Tori, now joined by Gray, Natsu, and Elfman, were silent. Then they were even more silent. They continued this train of progressively increasing silence until the lone feline among them spoke up.

"Holy catnip…."

They all nodded dumbly. Gray gulped, shielding his eyes with one hand from the massive lightshow. "Yeah, that about sums it up," he muttered.

They nodded in unison again. Gajeel's hands tightened into fists, and the hairs on his neck stood up. He felt utterly _alive _watching this. He pounded a fist into his palm. "Kick his ass, Gex," he whispered.

***dattebayo***

Gex's tornado dissipated, and the light faded. The lake was wracked by violent waves from the force of the titanic power struggle, and the ground they'd fought on had been ripped apart. The bit the tornado had stood on was nothing but a smoldering black crater.

Jose lay at the bottom of that crater, eyes rolled back into his head, mouth hanging open, bleeding, bruised, broken, disheveled, and utterly unconscious. Maimed, but certainly not dead.

Gex, on the other hand, staggered out of the lake, as worse for wear as his opponent. His stomach and chest still bled, though not as profusely as before. His lower lip was split and bleeding from when he'd impacted the water. His legs were shaking. His boots were gone, and his feet bled. His face was pale.

His chest heaving, he held up a shaky hand and flipped the bird at Jose's unconscious face.

"Eat it, ghost shit," he panted. Then, he threw his arms wide before passing out with the effort and falling backwards, the top of his head in the surf.

***dattebayo***

Back on shore, Fairy Tail was too preoccupied with Phantom's invasion force to notice who won between the two men. They had caught glimpses of the battle unfolding, of course, but Phantom had loaded about two hundred mages onto the shore and it was taking everything they had and more to hold them back. Even Erza, S-class mage that she was, was being steadily worn down. It seemed that for every mage she defeated, three more took their place.

Running out of energy, she quickly switched into her Herculean Armor and went on the defensive, lashing out with punches and kicks where she could, but mostly just trying to hold the advance.

When it had reached the point where Fairy Tail had been clustered right at their guild's doors, and there were only about twenty of them capable of putting up any further resistance, Phantom's fighters let out loud whoops of excitement and closed in like hounds eager for the kill. Attacks started raining onto the guild hall, smashing it even further than what Gajeel had done. Erza had all but given up hope…that is until the eyes of the mage in front of her widened, before the man stumbled back and fell on his rear, jaw quivering in fear.

She looked above her head to see that a light was shining above her, reflecting off of a mostly-bald head the size of a magic four-wheeler. Tears came to her eyes when her eyes went down to see a massive figure with a wild mustache looming over the guild's ruined roof.

"What," the monster rumbled, voice filled with power, "have you fools been doing to my children?"

Phantom mages gulped in tandem, scared completely shitless, and for good reason. Makarov Dreyar, third master of Fairy Tail and one of the most powerful Wizard Saints, was glaring at them in all his titanic fury, eyes glowing.

"Hmm, that power," Makarov wondered, stepping around the building to glare at the enemy mages beneath him. "Now, leave this place. This is over. If you choose to continue fighting, I will have to completely erase you. _All _of you."

Phantom mages slowly began backing off. Erza pointed to the west. "The train station's that way," she helpfully supplied, managing a smug smile.

Minutes later, Phantom had cleared out, and Fairy Tail mages were helping their friends back to their feet.

Makarov returned to his normal size, head drooped, eyes closed. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner."

Erza wiped her eyes. "It's alright, Master. You showed up when we needed you most."

***dattebayo***

After that, everything seemed to happen in one big, crazy blur that none could follow correctly. Phantom got the hell out of dodge, with the exception of Naruto and Gajeel, who stayed upon Makarov and the rest of Fairy Tail's insistence. "Listen, boys," he'd told them, "you fought for us, so you're going to stay with us. The council will find you either way—you aren't exactly unknowns in the magic world. This way, at least you'll be seen on the side that was in the right."

They'd grudgingly accepted that, although Gajeel "didn't wanna spend any more time around the freakin' fairies," and Naruto, noticeably less harsh, had simply stated that it felt weird sticking around when he wasn't even a guild member.

Treating the wounded had been next on the to-do list. Thankfully, not too many received worse than some lacerations or a concussion, though there was an impressive collection of broken bones.

A day after the conflict had ceased, the council had showed up, promptly bringing Makarov to tears, and causing everyone else to droop their heads in resigned depression over their oncoming doom. This leads us to the current situation, with Naruto, Gajeel, and Makarov sitting inside of a tent with a captain of the Rune Knights, a slim man of average height with black hair done up in a unique sort of bun.

The captain tiredly adjusted his glasses. "Okay, would you state your names and mage classifications, just for the record?" as he spoke he set a fist-sized lacrima on the table. "Audio lacrima," he explained.

Naruto drummed his fingers on the table. "It's pretty rude to ask for our names when we don't even know yours."

The captain set his elbows on the table and laced his fingers together, resting his chin on them. "I am Lahar, Rune Knight Captain."

Naruto shrugged. "Naruto Uzumaki: Ex-Phantom Lord S-class."

"Gajeel Redfox: same as blondie here."

"Makarov Dreyar: third master of Fairy Tail."

Lahar nodded, but just as he opened his mouth to speak, Gajeel interjected.

"Hey, goggles, just wondering about something. I get why you're curious about me and princess mcprissypants, but why is he," he pointed a finger at Makarov, "here?"

"The rumors say you two defected from Phantom Lord before Jose Porla officially excommunicated you," Lahar responded. "I'm curious as to why, and whether Master Makarov was using you two as sleepers."

Naruto and Gajeel both snorted indignantly. "Bullshit," they chorused.

If both Dragon Slayers' apparent lack of respect bothered the Rune Knight Captain, he was doing a very good job of not showing it.

"Well, then," he said, "explain it to me." He pointed to Naruto. "You first. You two can have your say after him. Please wait outside."

Makarov and Gajeel left the tent, grumbling.

"Why the hell'd he bring us in there just to kick us out afterwards?" Gajeel huffed indignantly.

Makarov was trying valiantly to hold back copious of anime tears. "I don't know, and I don't care. I just want them to leave."

Gajeel looked down at the old man, both eyebrows raised. "You're somethin' of a wimp, aren't ya?"

"Don't make me pulp your skull between my thumb and pinky, sonny boy," the small man said coldly. "I haven't forgotten what started this. Have you?"

Gajeel felt cold sweat start seeping from his pores. Oh yeah. He remembered. He remembered every bit of it, and while he held fast to his belief that he had no choice, Makarov's retribution was the only one he'd really feared.

"I…I had no choice," he said, trying to make his voice confident, but failing as it left his throat as a nervous whisper.

Makarov closed his eyes, and with a quick usage of his Titan Magic grew himself to Gajeel's approximate height, though perhaps a little taller. "Choices are as many as the stars in the sky. You always have a choice."

Gajeel ground his teeth and looked away. "I've told you people already. He said if I didn't obey his order he'd _end _me, and I knew he could."

"You could have lied," Makarov growled. "Simply _told _him you'd hurt them."

"The war wouldn't have started!"

Makarov edged closer. "Watch your tone with me, _boy_."

Frustration overcame fear, and Gajeel shoved Makarov hard enough to actually move the man, no mean feat in itself. "I'M _SORRY_, GODDAMNIT! I'M ASHAMED!" His voice dropped to almost a whisper. "Every time I try to fucking _sleep_ I see their faces, and I start wishing I'd _carved_ the mark into my own guts before putting it on that girl." His head drooped. "Are you fucking happy now? What…what do you people want from me?"

Gajeel looked up in surprise when a small hand laid itself upon his knee. "That is all I wanted," Makarov said calmly, once again his normal size. "You hurt my children, not by your own design, but if you hadn't been sorry I could never forgive you."

As Gajeel gaped helplessly, not knowing what to say, Makarov continued. "They're good kids. Talk to them, just as you've talked to me, maybe without the shove, and I'm sure they'll forgive you, too."

Gajeel could say nothing, so he just nodded his head and waited in silence.

A few minutes later, Naruto stepped out and none-to-gently shoved his fellow ex-Phantom through the tent's doorway.

It went on in that fashion with Makarov. After all three of them had told their stories, Lahar seemed satisfied, and said, "We'll let you know if anything turns up, but as far as I can tell from this and the other questionings, both of you guys and Fairy Tail check out as the aggrieved party. You shouldn't be put on charge."

This was met with a wave of relief from all involved, but what Lahar said next was a bit unnerving. "The only problem is that Gex guy. From what you've told me, he seems okay, but he still needs to be questioned himself. Regulations, you know?"

After that had concluded, Makarov had been quick to announce a mass exodus to the biggest bar in town, considering that their own was still rather trashed.

Naruto and Gajeel tried to avoid it, feeling significantly more awkward than before, but Natsu made the decision for them, grabbing each of them around their necks with his bandaged arms and dragging them down the streets of Magnolia.

"You think we'll let you leave so easily, huh?" the Salamander said, grinning in most wicked amusement. "Oh, no, no, no, that won't do! We just won a BATTLE! No, wait, a WAR!"

Elfman came up alongside them, leaning on a crutch and bandaged, but smiling heartily. "It would be most unmanly not to attend the celebrations with your fellow men." He quickly corrected himself when Erza took up the other side. "A-and women, of course!"

Erza patted Naruto on the shoulder. "I still feel that must repay you I for that misunderstanding in Oaktown, Naruto. Please, celebrate with us."

The look she gave him left no room for argument, so he sighed and resigned himself to his fate.

Gray came along and bumped Gajeel with his shoulder. "I still gotta get you back for that 'snow fairy' comment."

"Oh yeah, we are getting you guys _so _drunk tonight!" Natsu roared triumphantly.

***dattebayo***

_Four Hours Later._

Naruto glared. The inhuman…thing across from him glared right back. He growled at the beast, baring his larger-than-average canines and incisors. They dripped amber liquid. All he got in return was a smug grin. He wasn't losing to this freak of nature!

He slammed back his…fifteenth…or was it twelfth? Ah, fuck it; he was too drunk to remember anyway. He slammed back his shot of liquor, then turned the shot glass over and lined it up next to the others.

"You are a mosht worthy oppo…opponer…you're really good at drinking, Cana-chan!" he slurred.

Said bottomless pit drained her own glass easily and slammed it down on the table, bottom up. Her eyes were half-lidded and her cheeks were flushed, but she was certainly better off than Naruto. "You aren't so bad yourself, Naruto."

Mirajane flitted past them with a happy smile and a tray of drinks, having graciously volunteered to help the unfortunate establishment's bartender deal with serving; falling into her default role as waitress.

Naruto reached out and tried to wave at her. "Wazzup, Mira-chan?" he asked, cheeks flushed, before falling back in his stool to become a snoring, drunken heap on the floor, along with Cana's other victims.

Mira just stopped and looked around, a puzzled look on her face. "Did someone call me?" she wondered, before shrugging and continuing to hand out drinks.

Back at the table, Cana burst out laughing.

At a mostly unoccupied corner of the room, Gajeel was doing the unthinkable. He was breaking all sorts of cosmic laws. He was doing what he had never done before.

He was _nursing_ a beer. Gajeel Redfox, the man who had a reputation for consuming ale like a drunk as well as the metal tankards they came in, was nursing his drink with a depressed look on his face.

Wow.

Gajeel took a small sip of his beer, then set the still half-full mug on the table before resting his forehead in his hand and sighing. His thoughts were on his conversation with Makarov earlier that day, and what the old coot had said. He couldn't just walk up to them and say he was sorry, could he?

He glanced across the room. All three of them were sitting in a booth, still bandaged, still wincing every once in a while with the pain, but otherwise smiling, having fun. He bit his lip hard enough to make it bleed. The taste of iron flooded his mouth, and for once he did not revel in it.

His body started tensing uncomfortably. His clay mug shattered in his grip. He stood up stiffly and walked out of the booth.

Gajeel Redfox was many things. Asshole, fight-happy, slightly crazy, and freakishly scary, among other things. However, at the end of the day, he still had a personal sense of honor and he was _certainly _not one thing. Gajeel Redfox was no coward.

He studied their faces. The blue-haired chick…um, Levy, that was her name, he knew that now, her face was a mix between surprise and fear. She reminded him of a small animal who'd been backed into a corner by a big, slobbering dog. The image made him want to hit himself. He very nearly did. Her two lackeys were at the other end of the spectrum, definitely not afraid. Their faces were studies in fury. They both made subtle movements to place themselves between him and Levy.

"What the fuck do you want?" the one with the plant-like hair demanded.

He closed his eyes and opened them again. His iron-studded, muscular, dangerous arms hung loose at his sides. He opened his mouth. He didn't bare his fangs. He did not growl. He did not start calling out a spell that could flay the flesh from their bones.

Gajeel just asked softly, "Can I talk to you guys for a bit?"

***dattebayo***

Makarov was sitting on the bar, drinking a rather foamy mug of ale. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see nothing. He felt a rush of air, however, and noticed the back door was open and swinging. His lips upturned into a small smile and he walked out.

He shut the door behind him and turned around to see a tall man wearing a hooded brown cloak. The hood came down to reveal the scabbed, scarred, and scruffy face of Gex Quetzacos.

They stared at each other in awkward silence until Gex decided to extend his hand. "Guess we ain't ever met properly," he said, then tapped his chest with his other hand. "Gex."

Makarov shook the proffered appendage. "Makarov. Thank you for helping us. It makes quite the interesting story."

Gex's expression went from calm to suspicious. "That has me wonderin'…you've been expectin' me." The unspoken "how" was obvious.

The older man bobbed his head in a nod, fingering his mustache. "Well, I have heard stories about you before, so I knew there was a God Leg mage in Phantom Lord. I felt the surges of power on my way to the guild. I knew one of the powers was Jose. Yours feels like Jet's, only much larger, so it wasn't that difficult to put together. And now I know why you defected, so everything makes sense."

Gex blinked in wonder at the tale. If it was true, Makarov's sensory abilities were insane. To be able to deduce his type of magic simply from feeling his magic power? _He_ certainly couldn't do that.

"That's slightly scary, pal," he said. Makarov simply grinned.

"So," the guild master prodded, "what will you do now?"

Gex scratched his stubble, then shook his head. "I don't know where I'll go, but I can't stay here."

Makarov's eyes widened. "You aren't serious."

"Completely," Gex retorted, eyes cold. "Ya might be able to point me out in a crowd, old man, but ya don't know me." He snarled. "I shot that energy lance straight at Jose's head. If I'd got my way, the Council would be cleanin' him up with a mop, _literally_. I thought Sarusuke had been burned up with his dad by a gang, so I found the guys who did it and made sure they'd never be able to _think _of settin' another house on fire."

"You mean…," Makarov trailed off.

Gex just nodded. "Killed 'em dead, the lot of 'em. I'm a complete and utter bastard, not the type you'd want hangin' around your Fairy Tail."

Makarov shook his head, frowning. "It can't be that simple. From what I've been told, you aren't a bad person. And Jet is your _nephew_. You're the only living family either of you have. And he would certainly benefit from your skill and experience."

Gex shrugged with a small smile. "See, that's the good thing. He doesn't _need_ me. You guys are his family now. But I'll keep an eye on him, just in case. As to my 'skill and experience'," he fished inside of his cloak, withdrew a small leather-bound booklet, and tossed it to the diminutive Wizard Saint. "That's the Quetzacos clan magic volume. If that don't help him master God Leg, nothin' will."

Makarov tucked it into a pocket. "I'll give it to him. Won't you speak to him at all?"

"I dunno, old man," Gex sighed. "I'm just tired. I want a vacation."

"You do know the Council still wants to question you, right?"

Gex just laughed. "Man, do I look like I give a shit?" He started walking away, waving. "And it ain't my place to ask, but look after Gajeel and Naruto, will ya? They're good kids, better than they know."

Makarov's expression softened considerably. "Sure."

And that's the conclusion of the Phantom Lord arc.

**_Ignición- _Ignition**

**_Doble Ignición- _Double Ignition**

**_Infinitio_ _Ignición- _Infinite Ignition**

**_Metralleta Sónica__-_ Sonic Machine Gun**

**_Enroscada del Rey Serpiente- _Coils of the Serpent King**

**_Colmillo del Rey Serpiente- _Fang of the Serpent King**

**The whole "serpent king" deal works like this. Gex's last name is Quetzacos, which I designed to be a play on Quetzacoatl, a Aztec god depicted as a huge, winged serpent.**

**Since someone asked, let me clarify that Mystogan did NOT get all of the subdivisions. I refuse to believe that one guy, S-class or not, could take out that many subdivisions on his own.**

**Another thing is that I'mt hinking of changing the title to "Reflection." I originally intended for Natsu and Naruto to have a much deeper relationship, but this story has a mind of its own, and look where we are now? Tell me what you think.**

**Finally, please listen to me here. I feel like an asshole, a douche, and an all-around prick for asking this, but I've set myself a really stupid goal. I want to reach 200 reviews by chapter 17. And so I am asking you...no, I am BEGGING you, if you like this story, if you follow it, if anything I wrote ever entertained you, please, please, please, PLEASE leave me a review.**

**Thanks.**

**Much love,**

**Your friend, demonfox910**


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